Lone Memories
by Ninetri9
Summary: Another fanfic with AxS pairing. AU, slight OOC. Shinji's got amnesia and Asuka helps him out, sort of. Read to find out more IM BACK AND READY FOR MORE
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Greetings everyone, and welcome to my second ever fanfic. To start off, this is AU, and there will be occasions of OOC throughout, just to forewarn everyone. Pairings will be AxS

Disclaimer: I do not own NGE, Gainax does

Now, on with the show!

* * *

It was dark out, the last rays of sunlight disappearing behind the horizon. Its light fell upon a red sports car that was speeding around a mountain on a thankfully empty road. Inside the car, a woman about thirty drove, not always paying attention to the road. She had purple hair and was wearing shorts and a tight sleeveless black shirt with an equally tight red jacket over it.

"And that's what Tokyo-3 is like," she was telling the person behind her, "So, what do you think?"

In the rear of the car, a fourteen year old girl sat, looking depressed. She wore a yellow sundress that made her red hair stand out even more. Her blue eyes stared out the window lifelessly as she shrugged.

"It sounds nice"

Sighing, the woman said, "Asuka, you could be a bit more cheerful"

Frowning, the red-head replied, "Please Misato, like there's really anything to be cheerful about"

Misato sighed as she looked into the mirror at her young ward. Asuka's mother had passed away when she was young, and her father didn't even want to look at her after his wife's death. It had been one thing after another for years, being shunted to different family members, all who took care of Asuka, but were unable to keep her. Finally, Misato came along, an old friend of Kyoko, and said that she'd take care of the young red-head.

"Come on," the red-head's guardian said, "As the saying goes, 'Every storm cloud has a silver lining'"

"Whatever," the teen said as she looked forward in time to see that someone was on the road

"Misato look out!"

The older woman turned to the road in front of her in time to hit the breaks, swerving around the and just missing him. When they stopped, she looked out the side window to see that the person had collapsed

"Crap, Asuka call an ambulance," Misato told her passenger as she tossed her the cell phone

Climbing out of the car, she approached the person to see that it was a teenage boy around Asuka's age. A closer inspection also showed that he was badly injured, and not from being hit by a car. His gray clothes were soaked with blood, his left arm held at an unnatural angle. Cuts and bruises covered the skin where Misato could see, with more probably under his clothes.

Remembering the rules of helping an injured person, Misato didn't try to move the boy, asking, "Are you alright?"

The boy groaned, trying to shift his body, which alarmed the woman, "Don't try to move, you're hurt badly"

Asuka came out of the car and told Misato, "The can't get through, too much traffic"

"Okay, I guess we'll have to take him there then," the woman turned and told the boy in a gentle tone, "Don't worry, you'll get help, we'll get you to some doctors who'll take care of you"

At the mention of doctors, the boy's eyes widened and he struggled to get up. Alarmed, Misato placed a hand on his shoulder and held him down.

"Don't move, if you do you're only going to hurt yourself even more"

"N-no, doc-tors, must get a-away" he said in a weak voice

Worried, Misato tried to calm him down, "Easy, easy, it's alright"

The boy then collapsed in a heap, unconscious from fatigue and his injuries.

"Hey Misato," Asuka asked in a quiet tone as she stepped up to them, "Is he alright? He didn't…?"

Feeling for his pulse and finding one, Misato heaved a sigh of relief and shook her head, "No, he's still alive. He probably fainted from blood loss"

Getting up, she told Asuka, "Get the emergency kit, there's a first aid kit inside it. This kid's in serious need of medical assistance, and we have to get him to a hospital"

Nodding, the red-head went to the trunk and grabbed the first aid kit as well as a blanket, just in case. Back with Misato, Asuka gulped at the amount of blood that was beginning to spill.

"Give me the anti-septic and bandages," the woman ordered, snapping Asuka out of her daze, "There isn't much we can do about his arm, but we have to at least stop the bleeding"

Twenty minutes later, and most of the boy's bigger wounds were covered, and he was wrapped in the blanket in the back of the car.

"Hang on to him Asuka," Misato said buckling up, "We have to get him to the hospital fast"

Nodding, the red-head held tight to the boy as the woman drove well beyond the speed limit of the road. The trip was in grim silence, interrupted by sharp turns and bumps. After a particularly large bump, the boy's eyes opened. Looking down, Asuka saw that his eyes were a deep blue color, like the depths of the ocean.

His eyes looked around, taking in his surroundings, after which he opened his mouth and asked weakly, "Where am I?"

"On our way to the hospital," Asuka told the boy who was lying across her lap, "Mind telling me what happened to you?"

The boy apparently didn't hear her, his eyes closing again. Frustrated, the red-head stopped herself from throttling the boy.

"At least tell me your name"

When he said it, she almost missed it, how softly he said it, "Shinji"

* * *

Hospital

Misato got them to the hospital in almost no time, making sure Asuka called ahead to tell them that they were bringing someone who was in need of immediate medical attention. Upon arrival, they let a pair of paramedics take the boy and put him on a stretcher.

A doctor came up to Misato and asked, "Are you his parent or guardian?"

Shaking her head, she told him, "No, we just found him lying on the street, so we don't know where his parents might be"

"Do you know his name?"

Just as Misato was about to say no, Asuka told them, "I asked, but I only got his first name, Shinji"

Scratching his head, the doctor thought a little when Misato asked, "Will he be alright?"

This time the doctor smiled, telling them, "Don't worry, you got him here quickly, and you stopped his bleeding. Between your quick actions and the surgery team, Shinji will be fine"

Sighing in relief, Misato said, "That's great news. If he'd died I would've had that on my conscious"

"Would you like to stay and wait?" the doctor asked

"I'd never get a good night's sleep until I know that he's going to be alright"

"Misato!" Asuka hissed, "What are you doing? We don't even know him, we nearly ran him over!"

A stern look on her face, Misato said, "We saved his life, so he's our responsibility until we find his parents"

In a teasing tone, she continued, "Besides, the two of you looked so cute in the back seat like that"

Flushing, Asuka brandished her fist and said, "I was like that because you told me to hang onto him"

Angry at herself and Misato for riling her, the red-head then asked, "So where do we wait?"

* * *

Light shone through a slightly open window, casting its glow on the bandaged figure lying on the bed. Opening his eyes, the boy looked around in confusion. He failed when he tried to sit up, and saw that his arm was in a cast and that much of his body was wrapped in bandages.

"Where am I?"

He was laying there for some time before a nurse opened the door and saw that he was awake. She called out to another nurse to get the doctor and then stepped inside.

"Ohayo," she said in a gentle tone, "How are you this morning?"

"I think I'm okay"

Nodding, she said, "That's good to know. There will be a few people coming by later to check up on you in a minute, so just lay back and relax"

As she promised, the doctor came into the boy's room within a minute, followed by Misato and a reluctant Asuka.

"Ah, how are you feeling today?"

"A little sore," the bandaged boy told the doctor

"That's to be expected with the injuries that you had," the doctor said, "I believe your name is Shinji"

Tilting his head, the boy said, "Is it? I don't remember"

Suddenly the red-head shouted at him, "What!?? How can you not remember your own name? You told me that was your name!"

"Asuka, shh, this is a hospital," Misato told her, holding a finger to her lips in a shushing gesture

Frowning, Asuka crossed her arms and turned away. Sighing, the purple-haired buxom turned to the doctor and apologized.

"Don't worry," he said, "Now, I want you to tell me what happened to you. Many of those injuries seemed to have been inflicted by a serious fall"

The boy closed his eyes as he tried to recall what happened. Finally sighing, he opened his eyes and shook his head

"I see," the doctor said musingly

"Gomen"

Smiling in a reassuring way, the doctor replied, "Don't be, we'll just leave it at that for now. Do you mind telling what you do remember?"

Again closing his eyes in thought, he shook his head and said, "Gomen, I can't remember anything"

"Is there something wrong doctor?" Misato asked

"It appears that the boy has amnesia, which was probably caused by head trauma" the doctor answered

The nurse then said, "Poor boy, can't even remember who he is or where he's from"

Misato, who had been thinking after the doctor said the boy had amnesia, asked, "If it's possible, I'd like to take Shinji under my care until he can recall who he is or someone else comes for him"

"What?!" Asuka shouted, causing Misato to shush her, "Why do you want to take care of that idiot?"

"Because, Asuka, I want to. Besides, he doesn't have anyone else"

Frowning, the red-head sulked as the doctor said, "It is possible for you to take him, but there are some documents that we need to work through first, and he has to be cleared before he can get out of bed"

"Did you hear that?" Misato asked the boy, "You get to live with us"

"Yeah," Asuka said, before pointing a finger at him, "But if you try anything ecchi, I crush your manhood to dust"

Gulping, the boy nodded nervously. Within the hour, the boy, known now as Shinji, was now under the custody of Misato Katsuragi.

"Now that that's done, let us introduce ourselves," the woman said when they helped Shinji to the car, "My name is Katsuragi Misato"

Jerking her thumb to the girl following them she told him, "That's another of my wards, Sohryu Asuka Langley"

The red-head grunted, sulkily seating herself in the back seat of the car. Shinji was sitting in the front seat, the crutch he was to use until he could use his legs properly in the back with Asuka. The car ride passed with Misato telling Shinji about herself, and Shinji listening attentively

"And that's about it," Misato finished, swerving around a corner

Snorting, Asuka asked, "Aren't you going to tell him about your hentai ways or your drinking problems?"

"Shut up!"

The two of them began to argue and shout at each other, with Shinji looking on curiously.

"Whatever," Misato said, pulling into the parking lot of a convenience store.

Parking, she turned to the kids and told them, "I'm going to get some stuff. Asuka, watch Shinji for me"

Before the red-head could argue, Misato had climbed out of the car and was already half way to the store's entrance. Frowning, she sat back and stared at the back of the boy's head. Feeling her stare, he looked over the seat to see Asuka glaring at her.

"What?" Asuka demanded

Flushing, Shinji quickly turned back around, muttering apologies.

"Stop apologizing you baka"

"Gomen"

Sighing in frustration, Asuka just told him, "Just shut up"

After a few moments of silence, Shinji asked, "Did I really tell you that my name was Shinji?"

"You were falling asleep when that happened," Asuka explained, "I may have mistaken it and it might be something else"

"Oh"

More silence ensued before the red-head then asked, "You really don't remember anything, do you?"

Shaking his head sadly, he replied, "No. It's kind of hard to not know who you really are"

Feeling guilty about shouting at Shinji, Asuka said, "I wouldn't know, but there have been some times when I didn't know who I was or why I was around"

Looking up to see that he was looking at her curiously, the red-head said in an angry tone, "Oh forget what I just said. And turn around"

Jerking his head around, Shinji muttered, "Gomenasai"

She was about to tear into him about apologizing all the time when Misato came back, carrying multiple plastic bags

"Glad to see that the two of you getting along," she said with a smile, as she put the bag into the trunk of the car.

Harrumphing, Asuka didn't say anything as Misato started up the car again. They took off, nearly crashing into a blue sedan.

"Schiesst," the red-head swore, "Misato, are you trying to kill us?"

Laughing weakly, she said, "Gomen, but I wanted to head home as quickly as possible so we could show Shinji his new home"

"Trying to impress the baka? Figures you would be hentai enough to want to get it on with someone half your age"

"Hey!"

Deciding to let it slide, Misato turned to Shinji and told him, "We're going home now"

Shinji nodded, feeling a little sick from the way that the woman was driving, swerving all over the streets.

* * *

Misato and Asuka were carrying the groceries as they led Shinji to their apartment.

"Alright Shinji," the woman announced as they stood in front of the door, "Here's your new home"

The door opened, showing various boxes laying around, to which Misato apologized, "Sorry about the mess, we just moved in ourselves"

She stepped inside, followed quickly by Asuka. Shinji stood at the doorway, leaning on his crutch, indecisiveness inscribed on his face. Seeing him standing at the doorway nervously, the red-head put on a frown and stepped up in front of the boy.

"Well? What are you waiting for?"

"Ano, I hope that I'm not intruding-"

Smiling in a reassuring way, Misato interrupted to say, "I already told you, this is your home as well, so come on in"

Taking a tentative step through the doorway, Shinji smiled back nervously.

"Tadaimas"

* * *

If that seemed like it jumped around a lot, sorry. Anyway, if your a fan, you know the drill. For those who don't, R&R, and try not to be too mean. I'll get back whenever


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Hello again, here's the second installment of this story. For those of you who are curious, there is no Nerv, Angels, Seele, EVA, or any other affilates of the original story.

Disclaimer: If I owned NGE, I'd have already put a new series involving the pilots in a better circumstance. No I don't own it, Gainax does, though the story idea is mine, if not already done by someone else, and if it is, then I apologize

Now, on with the show!

* * *

A month has passed since Shinji was brought into the Katsuragi household. He still has not regained any of his lost memories, but he has regained use of his legs, and his stitches were removed. The only injury that he had was his broken limb, which would be better within a few weeks.

This morning, he was watching Asuka as she prepared some breakfast.

"Take a picture, it'll last longer," the red-head growled as she tipped a pan full of sausages onto a plate

Tilting his head slightly, Shinji asked, "A picture of what?"

She sighed, irritated at him for not understanding anything. Misato entered the kitchen, looking like hell as she pulled out a beer from the fridge. Downing it in one swig, she let out a loud whoop.

"That's how you start your day!"

"Mein Gott Misato," Asuka complained, "you are such a drunkard"

Chuckling, their guardian turned to Shinji and asked, "How are you feeling this morning?"

"I'm feeling much better"

"That's good to hear, because you and Asuka are starting school tomorrow"

Slamming the plate full of sausages on the table, the red-head shouted, "He's going to the same school as me?"

Nodding, Misato told Asuka, "Don't slam the plates on the table, and yes, Shinji will be going to the same school as you"

The red-head began to grumble as she served the others. The trio enjoyed a meal in silence, which ended with Misato getting up and putting her dishes away.

"I gotta go to work today," she told the teenagers, "Asuka, do you mind taking Shinji shopping with you, and he needs something other than the clothes the hospital gave him"

The prospect of going out to shop seemed to cheer the red-head a little, especially when Misato gave her a small wad of bills. As she counted the bills, the older woman turned to Shinji

"Now be good and follow Asuka's lead, don't want you to get lost"

Nodding, Shinji was pulled up by the red-head, who said, "Come on you lazy baka, we have shopping to do"

On their way to the door, Misato called out, "Remember Asuka, Shinji needs some clothes too"

Outside, Shinji followed Asuka as they traveled to the shopping district of town. He looked around with a curious and inquisitive expression. Because of his injuries, he couldn't go out that often, so everything seemed bright and new.

His curiosity caused Shinji to be inattentive, which caused him to cross a road when the signal was red.

"Baka! Look out!"

Jerking his head towards the red-head, he realized that a truck was speeding directly towards him. He was momentarily paralyzed with fear, but it swiftly vanished, and he leapt to the side, cart wheeling on his good arm to land next to Asuka with perfect form.

"How did you do that?" Asuka asked incredulously

She wasn't the only one who was shocked, nor the only one confused. Shinji was staring dazedly at the street where he was just standing moments before. He was snapped out of the daze when the red-head shook him.

"Hey," she demanded, "I asked you a question, where did you learn to do that?"

Shaking his head, Shinji replied, "I don't know, I can't remember anything"

Staring at him, Asuka made the boy squirm a little before she dragged him across the street when it turned green. Despite her constant questions, Shinji was unable to answer any of the red-head's questions. Asuka eventually stopped pestering him and settled for glaring at him whenever she could.

When they finally arrived at clothing's store, the first thing Asuka did was find some clothes for Shinji. Even though she disliked it, she was responsible enough to do what Misato said first.

"Okay, take these, go into that changing booth, and try these on," Asuka told him, shoving a small pile of clothes into his arm.

Shoving him into the booth, Asuka sat and waited, wondering about Shinji's acrobatics earlier. After a few minutes, he came out, looking at himself curiously. He was now wearing a pair of jeans with an orange and white striped t-shirt.

"What do you think?"

Pushing him back in, she told him, "Try another combination"

This went on for about fifteen minutes before Asuka was satisfied with four different sets of clothes as well as a school uniform for Shinji. After that, she went on a shopping spree, getting three new dresses, two pairs of new shoes, and four blouses.

Exiting the store, Asuka had a very pleased look on her face and a slight spring in her step. Behind her, Shinji struggled slightly as he followed her, carrying everything in his good arm.

"Ano, Sohryu-san"

Turning, she was a little irritated to be driven from her happy reprieve and replied, "What?"

"What's the school like?"

Caught off guard by the question, the red-head looked thoughtful as she pondered the question, "I don't really know, I just moved here myself because Misato took me here after taking custody of me"

Peering through the armful of bags, Shinji asked innocently, "Where are your parents?"

Flushing, Asuka turned and jabbed a finger into his chest, hissing, "Don't ever ask that again"

Gulping slightly, Shinji nodded fearfully, trying not to drop his burden. Seeing his plight, Asuka sighed and took half the bags he was carrying.

"Come on, it's still early, and I'd like to see this town for myself," the red-head called to Shinji over her shoulder

The pair traveled around the city, taking in the sights and memorizing different routes and pathways. When it was noon they stopped to have lunch at a ramen shop.

"This city is really big," Shinji said, slurping up some noodles, "Where did you say we were again?"

Gulping down her food, Asuka replied, "It's called Tokyo-3. It's known as the most technologically advanced city in the world, far better than its predecessor, Tokyo-2"

"Wow," he replied, awestruck, "That's amazing"

Smirking, the red-head told him, "Yeah Japan is amazing, but it's nothing compared to Germany. There you can have real food, not just noodles or seafood"

Listening attentively, Shinji let Asuka go on at length about how great Germans were and what she did when she was in Germany. During a lull in her monologue, he asked her another question.

"Did you have many friends in Germany?"

Asuka paused, her eyes slightly sad before she put on a smile and replied, "Of course I did. Dumkopff, why are you asking such stupid questions?"

"Gomen"

"Argghh," she growled, angry at Shinji's constant apologies, "Stop it"

After that, they finished their meal in silence, and left in equal quiet. This time, they traveled to the park at the center of the city. Looking up, Asuka noticed that the sky was becoming cloudy, and wondered if it was going to rain.

Groaning, she muttered, "Damn weather, I wanted to stay out and check out the city more"

Turning to Shinji, she said, "It's going to rain, so we better head back"

By the time they got back to the apartment, it was pouring cats and dogs. Both teens were soaked to the bone. Shivering, the red-head grabbed a pair of towels and threw one at Shinji.

"I'm taking a shower," Asuka told Shinji, "If I catch you peeking, it'll be the last thing you see"

Toweling himself as best he could with one arm, Shinji nodded and asked, "What about the clothes?"

The plastic bags had fortunately protected the clothing they bought from getting wet, so the boy had something to change into. Asuka grabbed the bags with her clothes and took them to her room. Exiting with a set of dry clothes, she repeated her warning before going into the bathroom.

Once inside, Asuka peeled off the wet clothes that were sticking to her body and turned on the hot water. Testing the water before she got in, the red-head found the temperature right.

_That's a relief_, Asuka thought as the hot water ran down her body, _I hope I didn't catch a cold_

When she thought that, she remembered that Shinji was also soaked, and might've caught something. Scoffing, she shook her head to clear the mental image of the boy lying in bed with a thermometer in his mouth.

Outside, Shinji was holding the slightly damp towel around himself to try and keep himself warm. Looking outside, he watched as the raindrops stained the glass, distorting the view behind it. For some reason, the image seemed to spark some sort of recollection, but it was too far away for him to remember. Broken out of his reverie by the door opening and closing, he turned to see that Misato had returned.

"Tadaimas," she called out slightly weary

"Welcome back," Shinji replied

Seeing that he was dressed in wet clothes, she asked, "Why haven't you changed?"

Before he could reply, the bathroom door opened and Asuka stepped out, toweling her hair dry. Spotting Misato in the living room, she placed her hands on her hips and stared angrily at the woman.

"Nice to see that you're dry," the red-head said sarcastically, "You could have told me that it would rain today"

Chuckling and scratching the back of her head meekly, Misato replied, "Gomen, but I thought that you heard the weather already"

Turning to Shinji, the purple-haired woman told Shinji, "You better get out of those wet clothes and take a hot shower before you catch a cold"

Nodding, he went to pick up a set of dry clothes and entered the bathroom, cutting off the argument that Asuka was having with Misato. Once Shinji shut the door, the red-head pulled Misato into the kitchen for privacy.

"Misato," Asuka said in a low tone, "Earlier I saw Shinji do something really odd"

"He give you a kiss?" Misato said teasingly

Flushing, the red-head hissed, "No! We were heading for a clothing store and the baka crossed the street when the light was red. A truck was about to run him over, so I shouted at him to look out"

"Did anything happen?" Misato asked with a bit of fear in her voice

Shaking her head, the girl said, "He's fine, but the amazing thing was, he did a cart wheel right out of the way and landed with perfect form"

Seeing the incredulous look on her face, Asuka insisted, "It really happened, you can ask him yourself!"

A thoughtful expression on her face, Misato rested her head on her hand as she thought about what Asuka told him, "Maybe he trained as a gymnast or martial arts"

The idea was pondered on by the red-head as well, who said, "Maybe we can get some records from schools about him"

Shaking her head, Misato dismissed the idea by saying, "He might be self-taught or his family may have taught him some"

They continued to think when Shinji finished his shower and came into the kitchen. He saw that they were busy and decided to leave them alone. In the living room, he took a seat and stared out the window again, trying to catch that recollection he almost had earlier. He hadn't gotten that far when the doorbell rang, jarring the inhabitants of the apartment from their thoughts.

Since he was closest, Shinji got up and opened the door. Standing there was a tall man with long dark hair tied into a pony tail. He had a rough-face that also bore a roughish smile.

"Hello, is this the Katsuragi residence?"

"Hai," Shinji replied, "Ano, would you like to come in?"

Smiling, the man replied, "Wouldn't want your hospitality to be misused"

Coming around the corner, Misato appeared and asked, "Who's at the door…"

She trailed off as she stared at the man in the doorway before leaping into his arms with an excited squeal, "Kaji-kun, how'd you find me?"

Chuckling, the rough-faced man replied, "I have my sources, but I would like to say that I hadn't expected you to replace me so soon"

Momentarily confused, she was about to ask when she realized that Shinji was still there, feeling a bit confused. Flushing, Misato turned on the man angrily.

"It isn't like that," she shouted, "I'm his guardian"

Laughing, the man held his hands up defensively, "Ha ha ha, gomen, but he just answered the door. How am I supposed to know who he is?"

Conceding the point to him, Misato stood straight and beckoned to the boy, "This here is Shinji"

"Konnichiwa," the boy said politely, bowing his head

The trio had moved into the living room as they were talking, and Asuka joined them shortly afterwards.

"Don't mind him, he's brain-dead," the red-head said in a mock whisper to Kaji

"Hey!" Shinji exclaimed, which was cut down by Asuka's glare

"Oh," Kaji asked, "And why's that, Asuka-chan?"

Misato explained the situation, cutting off the stream of insults that the red-head might have spouted about Shinji. The woman explained how they met Shinji and that he had no memories at all.

"I see, so you remember nothing at all?"

Shinji shook his head, "No, nothing"

Patting him on the head, Kaji said, "Ah no worries, you'll get something sooner or later"

He then turned the topic to how Asuka and Misato were coping with life in Tokyo-3. As they talked, Shinji sat by and watched them, feeling a little left out. Sensing his distress, Misato grabbed him in a headlock

"Hey," she teased, "What are you being quiet for, join the conversation"

"Okay," Shinji replied in a small voice

"Come on," the woman told him, squeezing him harder, "put a little spirit into it"

In a louder and more confidant tone, he again said, "Okay!"

"There we go"

Asuka smacked Shinji in the back and said, "Looks like you got some spine in you after all"

There was laughter all around as they began to tease Shinji, causing him to flush and sputter indignantly. Kaji also joined in the tease fest, causing the females to blush as much as the boy. They continued like this for a while when Misato looked up at the clock and saw how late it had gotten.

"Damn, it's late," turning to Kaji, she asked, "would you like to stay for dinner?"

Smiling, he replied, "Sure, so long as you aren't cooking"

Indignant, she pouted as Shinji got up and went to the kitchen. Curious, Asuka followed to see that he was pulling out ingredients for dinner.

"Hey," she called out, "you know how to cook?"

Sheepishly scratching to back of his head, Shinji replied, "I watched you when you cooked, so I have a general idea"

Snorting, the red-head rolled up her sleeves and said, "The only way you can learn is to actually do it, and I don't exactly trust you to not poison us, even by accident"

With that, she began to prepare dinner, with Shinji helping out when he could with his one good arm. Soon the smells of good cooking wafted to the adults in the living room.

"Asuka's a good cook," Kaji complimented, "but where's Shinji?"

Peeking into the kitchen, Misato returned with a small smile on her face, "He's helping Asuka help cook dinner"

Raising a brow, he asked, "Tell me again, how long have you had Shinji here?"

Smirking, she replied, "A month"

In mock thought, the rough-faced man asked, "That's the longest that Asuka's been with a boy. How long do you think before she and Shinji go on an actual date?"

"Do I smell a wager?"

The two adults then laughed and got up when Asuka called them in for dinner. Neither of them said anything about how cute the two teens looked together, or of the wager they made together

* * *

There we go, thanks for reading. Reviews are welcomed, and I'll get back as soon as I can 


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Welcome to the third installment

Disclaimer: I don't own NGE. Seriously though, do I have to say this at the beginning of every chapter?

Preread by YouarenotasrandomasI

Now, on with the show!

* * *

Shinji followed Asuka as they walked towards their new school. Both were dressed in their school uniforms and carrying backpacks. The red-head peeked backwards to see that Shinji was staring at the papers that they were to give to the principal. She insisted on walking ahead so she could stop the sometimes unwary boy from crossing streets at the wrong time.

Upon arrival at the school, Shinji looked up from his papers and said, "This is the school?"

"Of course it is Dummkopf," Asuka retorted, "what did you think it was?"

Turning to Asuka, he asked, "Ano, you're always calling me that, but what does it mean?"

Falling over, the red-head got up and scratched the back of her head, "I guess you wouldn't know. Alright, it means baka, fool"

"Oh," Shinji replied in a small voice, "Do you really think I am?"

"If you cross the road when the lights are red, then yes, you are a Dummkopf"

Smiling abashedly, Shinji replied while scratching the back of his head, "I guess so, but we're both going to be Dummköpfe if we're late for school"

Staring at him before turning her gaze to her watch, Asuka shouted, "Scheisst, why didn't you tell me! Come on!"

They both ran into the school, arriving at the principal's office out of breath, but on time. Giving him their documents, the two waited for him to look through their papers.

"Sohryu Asuka Langley and Katsuragi Shinji, may I welcome the two of you to this school," the principal then said as he smiled to them

He gave them a note and directed them to their classroom. Bowing politely, the pair left in silence. After turning the corner, however, the red-head turned on the boy and put her hands on her hips

"Since when are you _Katsuragi_ Shinji?" the red-head demanded

Flushing a little, he replied, "Katsuragi-san insisted that I have her name until I can recall mine"

Frowning, Asuka replied, "Well, I guess that she would do that"

They found themselves in front of room 2-A, their new classroom. The pair waited outside until the teacher asked them to come in. Inside, they were the center of attention, or rather Asuka was the main attraction for the hormone driven boys of the class.

"_Hello_," Asuka said cheerfully in English before switching back to Japanese, "My name is Sohryu Asuka Langley, nice to meet you all"

"Konnichiwa, my name is K-Katsuragi Shinji," the boy said nervously, but no one was really paying attention to him

After settling in their seats, the teacher said, "Okay class, let's resume from where we left off yesterday. Sohryu, you may look on with representative Horaki, and Shinji can look on with Suzuhara"

Shinji looked around a bit before a boy with dark hair and wearing a sports uniform waving to him, "Yo, over here"

Looking on with the boy, Shinji said, "Nice to meet you"

Nodding back, he replied, "Same here. Name's Suzuhara Touji. How'd you hurt your arm?"

"Suzuhara, as much as Katsuragi might like your friendliness, please leave your conversation for later" the teacher interrupted in a stern tone

Later, during lunch, Asuka ate with the class rep, with whom she made friends with quite quickly. Currently, the red-head was telling the class rep about her homeland

"Wow," the brunette said, "It sounds like Germany is a great place"

"Of course," Asuka said smugly, "I'm not saying that Japan isn't a great place, but Germany is so much better"

Ticking off on her fingers, the red-head then began to list her home country's good points, "We have had a fine line of musicians, an amazing landscape, and our language is a lot easier than the kanji used here"

It was at that moment that the red-head recalled something that happened earlier. She remembered when she was speaking with Shinji earlier, that he called them both fools in proper German even though he said that he didn't understand her before.

"Sohryu-san?" the rep asked inquisitively, "Is something wrong?"

Shaking her head, Asuka replied, "It's nothing, and you can call me Asuka"

Smiling, her friend replied, "Alright, and you can call me Hikari"

"Okay Hikari-chan," the red-head replied cheerfully, "as I was saying, we Germans also have great food. We get to eat real meat, not the fish you seem to insist with every meal"

She reached into her bag as she said that and found that she didn't have her lunch. Asuka let out a groan as she smacked herself in the forehead.

"Scheisst, I forgot my lunch"

Just then, a shadow appeared and she looked up to see that Shinji was there holding a red bento box in his good hand.

"Ano, Sohryu-san, you forgot your lunch when we left this morning," he said, holding the box to the red-head

"Domo," Asuka said in a strained tone as she took her lunch

Smiling, the dark-haired boy said, "Well, I'll see you later"

Walking away, he caught up with the boy dressed in sports clothes. Turning around, the red-head became aware of the curious stare Hikari was giving her.

"What?"

"How did he get the lunch you forgot?" she asked, pointing towards Shinji, "Are you, living together?"

Flushing, Asuka said, "Well, sorta"

"Gah," Hikari said shrilly, "How could you? You're living in sin!"

"No, wait! That isn't the case!"

With that, the red-head began to frantically tell Hikari everything that has happened involving Shinji, including his apparent skill in acrobatics

"Wow," the brunette said after the long explanation, "I see"

Bowing, she apologized, "Gomenasai, I shouldn't have been jumping to conclusions"

Sighing, Asuka said, "It's alright, no need for apologies"

The red-head became thoughtful, going back to the puzzle of Shinji being able to speak German, "Hey, Hikari-chan"

"Hai?"

Still thoughtful, Asuka said, "I'm fairly certain that Shinji's not German, yet I think he might know the language"

Confused, the brunette asked, "Really, why's that?"

The red-head outlined her theory, "Well, Shinji didn't understand a German word I kept saying, Dummkopf, so I tell him what it means. Then he says that we were going to be Dummköpfe if we were late. I don't know how, but he was able to change the word to its plural form"

"What does Dummkopf mean?" Hikari asked for clarification

"Oh, it means fool"

Frowning, the brunette told her, "It isn't nice to call someone that, even if they didn't understand it"

"That's the thing, I'm sure he does know, but can't remember"

Pursing her lips in thought, Hikari said, "Well, it could be that he knows some Germans, or lived in Germany at one time or another"

"Makes sense," Asuka replied, "I'm going to try something when we get home, I'll let you know what happens tomorrow"

Meanwhile, Shinji was making friends with the jock Touji and his four-eyed friend Kensuke

"Nice to meet you," he said, bowing politely

A camera in his hand, the other replied, "Same here, names Aida Kensuke"

"Katsuragi Shinji"

They seated themselves on top of the school roof, and were overlooking the grounds where most other students were having lunch. Shinji had brought out a bento while Touji and Kensuke made do with store-bought food and drinks.

"So," Touji asked around a mouthful of food, "you know the foreign chick?"

Chopsticks halfway to his mouth, Shinji said, "Huh?"

"You know, Sohryu"

"Oh, yeah we live together"

Kensuke spluttered as he exclaimed, "No way! You're sleeping with that babe already?!"

Curiously, Shinji asked, "What do you mean? We sleep in the same apartment, but in separate rooms"

Nudging the confused boy, Touji said, "Oh I see what you're up to, you sly dog"

Brows furrowed, Shinji asked, "What are you talking about?"

"You don't know?" both boys asked in shock

Nodding, "Yeah, you mind telling me what you are talking about?"

Placing an arm around Shinji's shoulders, Touji sighed as he told him, "Boya, we have a lot to cover"

Just then, the bell rang, signaling the end of lunch, and the end of whatever bad influence Touji and Kensuke might put into the amnesia stricken boy. The rest of the day passed without incident, although Asuka kept an eye on Shinji.

Leaving school, the red-head noticed a lot of boys looking at her and whispering to each other. Tossing her head, causing her red locks to catch a few rays of light, Asuka made her hair seem to shine. A few of the boys were drooling as they stared at her

"Dummköpfe," Asuka muttered, "As if I'd be interested in any of those hormone driven losers"

"Ano, Sohryu-san," Shinji said timidly, "I'm sure there might be someone you like"

Batting him in the head, the German red-head told him, "Is your brain damaged? Oh wait, it already is. I'll have you know that I will not date any boy who isn't up to my standards"

Holding the back of his head where she hit him, Shinji asked, "What kind of standards?"

Deciding to try something to get him to remember something, Asuka retorted sharply in German, "Keines deines Geschäfts" (None of your business)

"Traurig, mich bitte schlagen nicht" Shinji said, covering his head with his good arm to protect himself from being hit (Sorry, please don't hit me)

Smirking, the German girl said, "Ich werde nicht, wenn du mir erklärst, wie du deutsch sprichst" (I won't, if you tell me how you know German)

A surprised look on his face, Shinji said, "I spoke German?"

"Yep, and you seem quite fluent in it to"

A curious look on his face, the boy wondered, "Do you think I know any other languages?"

"_How about English, for starters_" Asuka asked in the aforementioned language

"_I understood that_," the boy said excitedly, "_and I can speak it to_?" he finished with a smile of pleasant surprise

As they walked home, Asuka tested to see how many languages the boy knew. By the time they returned to the apartment, the two were having a pleasant conversation in French.

Misato, who was nursing a beer in the kitchen, heard the teens conversing in a language she didn't know. Peeking around, she saw that the two teens were talking, just talking, without fighting.

"Hey you two," the woman asked, "What're you talking about?"

A smirk on her face, Asuka replied to the older woman, "I just got Shinji to speak in eight different languages, and I know he can understand more"

Eyes wide, the purple-haired woman turned to the boy, who was smiling bashfully, and asked, "Really?"

"Hai," the boy replied, "Aside from Japanese, I can speak German, Italian, French, Spanish, English, as well as the Mandarin and Cantonese dialects"

Giving a whistle, the woman looked impressed, "Amazing. Hey, were you able to recall anything else?"

Face falling, he shook his head, causing Misato to feel bad, "Gomen, I shouldn't have asked"

"It's alright," Shinji said, waving his hands as though to dispel all the bad feelings, "I know you were worried, so don't blame yourself"

Sighing, Misato turned her frown upside down and asked in a teasing tone, "Speaking of worries, what might you and Asuka have been talking about when you came in?"

"Oh," Shinji said, surprised by the sudden change in temperament, "We were talking about the French. Asuka was trying to see if I knew anything else"

Turning to the red-head, Misato said, "Really?"

Nervous, Asuka retorted, "Yeah, really, we only talked about the French"

"Did you include French kissing in your discussion?"

The red-head burned a bright red as she spluttered, "W-what? No, as if I'd do that with him!"

"Ano," Shinji said, interrupting the embarrassed girl, "what's the difference between regular and French kissing?"

Misato chortled as Asuka became even redder and spun around, storming off to her room. Confused, Shinji turned to the older woman for an answer.

Patting him on the head, the violet-haired woman said, "I'll tell you when you're older, okay?"

"Alright," Shinji replied

In her room, Asuka dropped her bag and sat at her desk, taking deep breaths to calm herself. She spied the framed picture that sat on her desk, and took it into her hand. On it, there was an image of herself as a young girl and she was holding hands with an elder woman. The two were almost exact replicas of each other, both having smiles on their face as the picture was being taken. Smiling, Asuka put the picture down and got to work on her homework.

About half an hour later, she finished. Smirking, the red-head stepped out of the room, wondering if Shinji was finished. She was surprised when she saw that the boy was sitting in the living room, watching the news.

"Hey," she said sternly, "You have to finish your homework"

"Huh," the boy said, turning around, "I finished it"

Surprised, the red-head said, "No way. Show me what you did"

They headed to his room, which Asuka noticed to be rather plain, even though the boy had been living there for a month already. At his desk, Shinji picked up his papers and showed them to the German girl. Looking through it, she was surprised, for every answer he wrote was correct.

"Wow, you aren't a baka," she murmured as she flipped through the rest of the papers

He even completed many of the complex problems that gave her a few troubles, and with apparent ease.

"I guess you're smart," the red-head said, putting the papers back on the desk, "Do you think you could help me with some of this?"

"Is it hard for you?" Shinji asked curiously

Flushing, Asuka replied, "Yeah, but I only need a little help, understand?"

"A-alright"

Outside, Misato called, "Hey, you guys hungry?"

Poking her head out of Shinji's room, Asuka said, "Only if you aren't cooking"

"Very funny, I was actually thinking take out tonight. What do you guys want?"

Turning around, the German girl asked Shinji, "What do you want?"

Shrugging, he replied, "Whatever you want"

"Aright," turning back, Asuka shouted back, "Order up some Chinese"

Half an hour later, the trio were having a dinner of take out consisting of Lo Mein, chicken fried rice, and some sweet and sour chicken. Unlike other meals, this one actually had some real conversations. Misato was happy to see that Asuka and Shinji talking nicely to each other, even if she didn't understand most of what they were saying.

"Und dieser Kerl sagte, 'Lassen Sie mich Sie um die Stadt zeigen'" Asuka was saying to Shinji in German (And one guy says, 'Let me show you around the city')

"Erklärtest du ihm, daß du bereits die Stadt gesehen hast?" Shinji asked (Did you tell him that you've already seen the city?"

"Der Kerl versuchte, mich zu veranlassen, auf ein Datum mit ihm zu gehen," the red-head replied (The guy was trying to get me to go on a date with him), "der ist der einzige Grund, den er bat, mich um Stadt zu zeigen" (that's the only reason he asked to show me around town)

Interrupting the pair, Misato asked, "Is this a private discussion?"

"Not really," Shinji said, "Asuka was telling me about some boys who wanted to take her out"

"Oh, I see, feeling jealous Shinji-kun?" Misato teased

"Misato!" Asuka shouted, getting up and slamming her palms into the table, "It isn't like that!"

Laughing, the purple-haired woman said, "Oh sure, and how do I know the two of you aren't flirting in German?"

Stuttering, the red-head retorted, "Well, how about you and Kaji? I know the two of you go at it whenever we aren't home!"

"Going at what?" Shinji asked innocently

Both woman became red-faced and were at a loss for words. Tilting his head curiously, he repeated his question. Asuka sat back down and resumed eating; making it painfully obvious that she wasn't going to say anything else for the remainder of the meal.

"Ano, well, you see," Misato stammered, looking for the right words to use, "It's a way of saying for how adults show how much they care for someone"

The remainder of the meal was spent trying to explain to Shinji that some things were better left unknown. Although it didn't help matters that Asuka would snort and snicker throughout Misato's explanation.

* * *

There we go, thanks again for reading. Send your reviews, and I'll get back as soon as possible

Later


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Welcome back again, so happy that you came back to read.

Disclaimer: I do not own NGE, Gainax does

Preread by YouarenotasrandomasI

* * *

Shinji sat on an examination table as the doctor took off the boy's cast. The doctor then turned and twisted the arm gently in various ways, testing the boy's flexibility and for any other problems. Nodding his approval, he turned to Misato.

"I see no problems with Shinji; he has made a full recovery"

Sighing in relief, the woman replied, "That's good to hear. Shinji-kun, why don't you go back to the waiting room?"

"Hai"

Once the boy left the examination room, Misato turned to the doctor, "I saw that look, there's something else is there?"

Shuffling the papers in his hand, the doctor said, "No problems, just a slight bit of mystery"

Cocking her head sideways, she asked, "What do you mean?"

"I wasn't there when they first fixed him up, so I can't say for sure, but some of the information they gave me seems off"

"How so?"

Picking up a diagram, he showed it to Misato, "This is a diagram that the doctor on duty used to outline the extent to his injuries. When I checked on him, I saw that there were far more scars than could be accounted for"

Confused, she asked, "What do you mean?"

"Take a look," he said, pointing to the diagram, "A doctor is supposed to put down all injuries onto the diagram, but whenever I check up on Shinji, I see many more scars, some looking quite old"

Looking up, Misato asked, "Really?"

"Then when I do x-rays, I see that he also has bones that have healed over"

Biting her thumbnail, Misato pondered aloud, "I wonder if he had an abusive family"

Shrugging, the doctor replied, "I can't say for sure, but just looking at this, I can infer that he has had a bad past, and that maybe being with you is for the best"

"Do you think I should tell him?" Misato asked, "Especially since he may remember sooner or later"

Tapping his chin, the doctor said, "Not right now. What I suggest is that you have him do sessions with a psychologist, get him to gently ease back"

Nodding, Misato replied, "Domo, I know the doctor that might help"

* * *

Waiting Room

Shinji and Asuka were speaking in the waiting room, waiting for Misato to come out. The pair was speaking in German, and the other people in the room thought that the two were either related, unlikely, or were good friends. A few of the more imaginative people thought that they might be a couple, or could be a good one.

"Ich sehe, daß du zurück zu Normal bist," (I see that you're back to normal) Asuka said, "Was warten wir?" (What are we waiting for?)

"Misato-san"

Just at that moment, the purple-haired woman came out, shaking hands with the doctor

"Hey you two," she said, "We have one more stop to make, then we can head home"

As they headed for the car, Asuka asked, "Where are we going now?"

Passing Shinji the keys, she asked, "Shinji-kun, you can go ahead and start up the car, we'll be right behind you"

Once he was a fair distance away, Misato turned to Asuka and whispered, "We're heading to a psychologist to set up a series of sessions for Shinji"

Eyes wide, the red-head asked, "Is there something wrong with him?"

Shushing her, Misato replied, "We think that Shinji might have had a traumatic past, so the doctor suggested that we take him to see a psychologist"

A slightly worried look, Asuka said, "I hope Shinji's okay"

"Oh," Misato teased, lightening the mood, "Worried about your boyfriend?"

Flushing, the German girl threw a punch that Misato dodged easily, "Misato! He isn't my boyfriend!"

Laughing, Misato replied, "Oh no? Then what do you and Shinji talk about so much in German?"

"Just stuff," Asuka replied firmly

"What stuff?"

"None of your business!"

"Misato-san, Sohryu-san," Shinji called from the blue sports car, "Are you coming?"

Once everyone was inside the car, Shinji looked to the back and saw that Asuka's face was nearly as red as her hair. Worried, he asked what was wrong, and if she was feeling okay.

"I'm fine, now leave me alone"

Withering under her glare, the boy turned back around and stared forward as he asked Misato, "Where are we going?"

"To see a friend of mine"

After half an hour, they arrived at a building that had a sign saying 'Psyche Evaluation"

"What's 'Psyche Evaluation'?" Shinji asked, staring up at the building.

"It's where my friend works," Misato replied, "Now come on"

The purple-haired woman led the teens into the building and up some stairs. They went up three flights of stairs before arriving at a door with Dr. Akagi Ritsuko written on the window. Pushing the teens inside, the trio found themselves in yet another waiting room.

"Yo, Rits-chan, you in here?" Misato called out

"If the door is open, then yes," replied another woman as she stepped into the waiting room, "Misato, haven't seen you for a while"

The woman was tall, looking to be around the same age as Misato. She had blonde hair, brown eyes with a mole appearing a little below the right one.

"How have you been?" Misato asked cheerfully

Smiling, the blonde replied, "Good, so why are you here?"

Becoming a little more serious, the purple-haired woman gestured for Shinji to come over, "This is Shinji"

"Your new ward?" Ritsuko asked

"Yep, Shinji meet Ritsuko, a good friend of mine"

"Konnichiwa," Shinji greeted, bowing politely

Bowing back, the doctor looked back to the other woman, now understanding what she wanted, "This involves him, right?"

"I would like to schedule sessions for Shinji," Misato stated, "nothing too fancy, just some evaluation"

Looking up, Shinji asked, "Sessions? What's going on?"

In a soothing tone, Misato told the boy, "It's nothing really. All you need to do is sit down and answer any questions that Ritsuko has"

A bit of trepidation in his voice, Shinji replied, "That's okay, I guess"

Smacking a hand on his shoulder, Asuka added, "Come on, show some backbone"

Straightening, Shinji looked back with a more confident look and asked, "Alright, when do we start?"

"We'll have a session now," Ritsuko told him, "I'm going to need to find out what sort of things we need to check"

She then led Shinji to a separate room as Misato and Asuka waited in the waiting room.

"Well," Misato asked in a sly tone, "I think that your support was really helpful"

"I just didn't like seeing the baka as some coward," the red-head retorted

A mock thoughtful look on her face, the elder woman said, "You know, I think that you might like him"

Flushing, the German girls said, "Oh please, he's like the other pathetic boys in school"

"Oh really?" Misato asked in a teasing tone, "I'd have thought that since you and Shinji talk with one another so much that you think him a bit higher up than the others"

Looking away, Asuka replied, "Alright, so he's not _exactly_ like the others, but he's still a boy; I'm sure that he thinks about me in hentai ways"

* * *

At the same time

Ritsuko had set Shinji up on a comfy chair in front of her desk, and was setting up some new papers.

"Alright, we'll start simple," the blonde said, "I'll show you some inkblots and I want you to tell me what you see"

Taking a stack of cards, she took the top one and showed it to him, "What do you see?"

Looking at the image, Shinji said, "Tree"

Scribbling on her notepad, she pulled out another card, to which the boy identified as a pair of ducks. And so it went on, Ritsuko showing Shinji a card and the boy saying what he thought the blots looked like. It went routinely, at least to the doctor, until they got to the last card.

"Alright, this is the last one," the blonde said, pulling out and showing the last card

The boy stared at the card, and said, "It's a wolf"

Hearing the odd tone in his voice, Ritsuko looked up to see that Shinji had a glazed look of someone who was attempting to recall something. She didn't interrupt, hoping that he was getting something. After awhile, the boy shook his head and looked up expectantly at Ritsuko.

Sighing, the blonde doctor put the cards away and made a few last notes, making sure that wolf was mentioned.

"Next, I'll say a word, and you say the first thing that comes to mind"

"Hai"

"Sky"

"Sky"

Already foreseeing some problems, Ritsuko said, "What I meant was say something different from what I say"

Understanding, Shinji said, "Oh, I get it now"

"Good, now let's start again; Bird"

"Flock"

"Mountain"

"Survival"

"Ball"

"Catch"

"Street"

"Map"

And so it went on, with Ritsuko making many notes on what Shinji was saying. Several times, she paid close attention to phrases she didn't expect from the boy. In Misato's statement, she said that Shinji knew not only foreign languages, but apparently was also a good athlete.

Shuffling her papers, the blonde doctor said, "That's all for today"

"Oh," Shinji replied, "Does this mean that I don't have to come anymore?"

Smirking, Ritsuko replied, "I said that we were done for _today_. You still need to come see me. Don't worry though; you only need to come in once a week, alright?"

"Hai"

"Oh, before you leave, tell Misato to come in, I want to talk with her"

After Shinji left and Misato came in, Ritsuko made sure that there was no one listening at the door before turning to her friend.

"So," the purple-haired woman asked, "what's up with Shinji?"

"What makes you sure it's about him?"

Snorting, Misato replied, "We went to college together, I know you fairly well"

Sighing, Ritsuko looked over her papers again before she looked back up, "My initial analysis was successful. He appears to still have some residual memories from his past life. Certain phrases and words seem to stir his memories, but not enough for a full recollection"

Stroking her chin in thought, the purple-haired woman asked, "Did he seem distressed at all?"

Shaking her head, the blonde doctor asked in confusion, "What makes you think he might be distressed?"

Turning to the door, Misato again checked for any eavesdroppers. Finding no one behind the door, she stepped over to Ritsuko and leaned forward. Wondering what the secrecy might be about, the blonde woman leaned her head forward to hear what her friend wanted to say.

"When we first found him, he was ripped up pretty badly," Misato said in a low tone, "Then we find that his body has received a lot of punishment. There are many old scars and mended bones, some years old"

Understanding now, Ritsuko inferred, "So Shinji has either had an abusive family, or has been in a series of fights"

Nodding, Misato asked, "So, what sort of results did you get?"

"Not much for anything conclusive," Ritsuko answered, "Although he seems to be subconsciously recalling tips for some sort of survival training"

Seeing the confused look on her face, the doctor elaborated, "During the inkblot tests, Shinji either saw things that appeared in the wilds or some sort of wilderness survival gear"

Looking at her notes, she also added, "There have also been several references to wolves, that he seems to react to more than anything else"

A new idea flashed through Misato's mind, which she told Ritsuko, "Maybe he lived alone in the wilds, and was injured close by the road"

"I don't have enough information for a proper conclusion," Ritsuko said, "I want him to come once a week for consultation. Hopefully, we can find out a bit more about him"

"That would be good," the purple haired woman said, "But don't make Shinji too uncomfortable, okay?"

"I'll do my best"

In the waiting room, Asuka watched as Shinji seemed to be lost in thought. Ever since he came out of the doctor's office, the boy seemed to be thinking deeply about something. After several minutes of silence, the red-head sighed and tapped Shinji on the shoulder

"Hey, baka," she said, jarring him from his thoughts, "what happened in there?"

Looking up, he replied, "The doctor showed me some cards and asked me the first thing to come to mind"

Asuka once read a book about psychology, and so recognized simple forms of identifying a person's inner self.

"Oh, so did you remember anything?"

"Not really," he replied, scratching the back of his head, "I sometimes hear someone talking, like trying to recall a past conversation, but I can't make out the individual words"

Seeing the frown, the red-head tried to cheer him up, "Hey, it's going to be alright. I know, how about I cook dinner tonight?"

Snorting, Shinji waved his hands and said, "No, no, I'll cook tonight"

Eyes narrowing, Asuka grabbed him in a headlock and demanded, "Alright, what's so funny?"

The boy continued to snort as he was being strangled, "Gomen, but I didn't want ramen again"

"Oh no you don't, tell me what's so funny?"

In their struggle, the two landed on the floor, Asuka straddling Shinji's waist. The door to Ritsuko's office opened and the teens turned to see Misato with an amused look. Standing behind her, the blonde doctor was also smothering her mirth

"Easy there red," Misato said teasingly, "I don't think Shinji would mind, but don't do it here, people might come in"

Flushing a violent red, Asuka jumped off of the boy and yelled back, "I wasn't doing anything!"

Rubbing his neck, Shinji said, "You were trying to strangle me"

Smacking him in the head, she retorted, "Shut up"

Chuckling, Ritsuko asked Misato, "As entertaining as this is, I'd rather they not make a mess of my waiting room"

Laughing with her, the purple-haired vixen went to her wards and said, "Alright you two lovebirds, lets go before you break something"

The trio left, Misato laughing, Asuka blushing, and Shinji slightly confused. Shaking her head, Ritsuko went back to her office and made sure to circle all the dates that she and the boy were to meet in a bright red marker.

* * *

Hope you enjoyed this, R&R and I'll get back as soon as I can


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Hey everyone, sorry to make you wait. I had a bit of writer's block, but I'm recovering. Note, for those who noticed, yes, I do use an online translator, so forgive any mistakes I may make with the German.

Disclaimer: I do not own NGE, Gainax does

Preread by YouarenotasrandomasI

Now, on with the show!

* * *

Ritsuko's Office

This was Shinji's third visit to the doctor's office for evaluation. By this time, he had grown accustomed to the sessions. In a way, he looked forward to them, because he sometimes got flashes of memories afterwards.

"Okay," the blonde doctor said, "What do you see now?"

Currently, Shinji was lying on a couch, his eyes closed. Ritsuko was probing into his mind, trying to dig up some more memories of his past.

"I see a small room. It's very dark"

"Tell me about the room"

Taking a deep breath, Shinji replied, "I'm lying on the bed, it's cold and hard. Above it is a window, and it's night out"

Jotting down notes, Ritsuko pried deeper, "Is there anything else?"

Shaking his head, he said, "I can't see anything else"

Sighing, the doctor tapped his shoulder, causing him to open his eyes, "Alright, that's enough for today"

Sitting up, Shinji stretched his muscles and said, "Gomen, I wasn't all that helpful again today"

Giving a comforting smile, Ritsuko told him, "Don't worry, that's why we meet every week, so that you can try and remember more"

Putting her papers on her desk, she said, "I'll see you same time next week, alright?"

"Hai"

Outside, where she waited, Misato got up when Shinji came from Ritsuko's office and asked, "Hey Shinji-kun, anything yet?"

Seeing him shake his head, she then said reassuringly, "It's alright, there's no hurry"

In the car, Shinji held on as his guardian swerved across the roads on their way home. More than once, he wondered where Misato learned to drive. When they finally reached the apartment, there was another set of marks in the upholstery where some luckless victim held on for their life.

"What's wrong?" Misato asked as she watched Shinji stagger out of the car

Standing on shaky knees, he replied, "I'll be alright. I just need a bit of time to recover"

Shrugging, she led the way as Shinji followed her slowly on knees that seemed to want to go in every direction. As they entered their apartment, a pair of voices welcomed them back.

"Kaji," Misato exclaimed, "I wasn't expecting you"

Giving a roguish grin, the man replied, "Ah, but I was expecting you pretty lady"

Grinning, Misato said, "Hey Shinji, why don't you get started on dinner. Make enough for four"

Nodding, he left, followed by Asuka, "I hope you're going to make something good"

When they had left, Misato felt a pair of arms wrap around her waist. Turning her head, she smiled back at the man who held her lovingly.

"So, how was it this time?"

Kaji said this in a very low tone, so that the kids didn't hear. Leaning in so that she could whisper into his ear, he listened attentively

"Nothing new," Misato told him, "But there does seem to be residual memories"

Kissing her neck, Kaji said in a comforting tone, "Don't worry, if what you've told me is true, Shinji's probably better off with you"

"Did you call me?"

Both adults jumped and looked up to see Shinji peering around the corner of the kitchen

"He, erhalten Dummkopf, zurück hier!" (Hey, fool, get back here!) Asuka cried from the kitchen

"Traurig!" (Sorry) Shinji shouted as he went back into the kitchen

Both Misato and Kaji looked at each other, the same question written on their faces: How did he hear them all the way in the kitchen?

* * *

The Next Day

At school, Asuka was busy throwing out all of the love letters what were in her locker, making sure to slowly rip apart each and every one of them. Shinji looked around to see that there were more than a few boys with tears in their eyes. A few were sobbing outright

"Ano, Sohryu-san, are those letters from those boys?"

Ripping up the rest of the letters, the red-head replied, "I know, and I can also guess at what's written in them"

Tilting his head to the side inquisitively, he then asked, "Really?"

Snorting, she walked into the building, "Word for word, each and every one of those letters is most likely saying the same thing"

"Oh?"

"Every one of those boys are asking me to go out on a date with them," Asuka replied, "They all want to get their lecherous hands all over my perfect nubile body"

"Why do they want to touch you?" Shinji asked innocently, causing the red-head to fall on her face

Getting up, the red-faced red-head told him, "I'll tell you later, just don't ask me or anyone else, okay?"

Nodding, Shinji opened the door and let Asuka through first. After that, it was routine as they sat through class. Once it was lunchtime, Asuka and Hikari took their spot under a tree to eat.

Looking up at the flowers in the tree, Asuka commented, "Time sure flies, it's hard to believe its spring already"

Nodding, the brunette responded, "I know, and soon it'll be time for the spring festival"

Perking up, the red-head asked, "Oh, when's that?"

"Saturday after next," Hikari replied, "It'll be fun"

Rubbing her palms together, Asuka said, "Oh wow, this'll be my first real Japanese celebration"

"Oh, then you'll have to get a kimono for the festival"

"A what?" Asuka exclaimed, "You expect me to wear one of those things?"

Waving a finger, Hikari replied, "It's a tradition, and besides you'll look fantastic"

Frowning, the red-head contemplated herself in a kimono, "You know, that might not be so bad, but I'm not sure what would be appropriate"

"We can go shopping," the brunette suggested, "I'll help outfit you with the best possible kimono for the festival"

Smiling, Asuka replied, "Sounds great"

School Rooftop

The boys were also talking about the upcoming festival. Touji was telling Shinji all about how everyone would be having fun.

"There'll be all sorts of games and prizes," the jock explained, making wide gestures, "and there'll be lots of food"

Nodding, Kensuke added, "Yeah, and not only that, we get to see the girls dressed up in those cute kimonos"

"That sounds great," Shinji replied enthusiastically, "I can't wait"

"So," Kensuke said in a sly tone, "You thinking about taking Sohryu with you?"

A thoughtful look on his face, the naïve boy replied, "I'm sure that she'd like to come, and maybe Misato and Kaji would like to come too"

Both boys choked at Shinji's totally clueless face. A few minutes later, Shinji looked up to see a pair of butterflies flutter past. Caught by a whimsy, he got up and followed them around.

He was so caught up in the moment that he almost didn't hear, "Dummkopf! Unten von dort erhalten!" (Fool! Get down from there!)

Looking down, Shinji found himself standing on top of the rails that bordered the edge of the school roof.

* * *

Earlier

Where Asuka and Hikari sat eating lunch, they heard a bit of a commotion around the front of the school.

"I wonder what's going on," Asuka wondered

The pair got up and went to the source of the commotion. Seeing that everyone was staring at something on the roof, the girls turned their gazes upward. A figure was seen lightly walking on the rails around the rooftop. A second later, Asuka paled as she recognized that it was Shinji up there.

"Dummkopf! Unten von dort erhalten!" the red-head shouted

She instantly regretted shouting that as the boy immediately looked down and began to teeter. Her heart in her throat, Asuka watched as Shinji swung his body around.

Once he saw that he was balanced on a rail, three stories above the ground, Shinji's heart began to go into overdrive. Yet, his mind was strangely calm, as though he had done this sort of thing before. Swinging his arms around, he regained his balance and leaped back onto the roof. As he sighed, he was grabbed by Touji, who put him in a headlock and gave him a serious talking to

"Geez, Shinji-kun you really scared the crap out of us," the jock said loudly, "You look like you were about to jump"

"G-gomen," the boy said in a strangled tone, "Please let me go, I promise to watch where I'm going next time"

Down on the grounds, Asuka let out a sigh of relief that went unnoticed by everyone except Hikari. Once the crowd of people began to disperse, the brunette walked up to the German girl

"You alright?"

Nodding, the red-head said, "I'm going to kill that Dummkopf when I get my hands on him"

"You were that worried about him?"

Choking, the red-faced girl retorted, "No, it's just that I'd have to face a lot of grief from Misato if she found out he hurt himself"

Smirking, the brunette decided to go easy on the teasing, "Alright, so how about we go shopping for a kimono for the festival this weekend?"

Glad for a change in topic, Asuka enthusiastically went into a discussion with Hikari about shopping and fashion.

* * *

After School

Shinji waited by the school gates for Asuka to finish today's cleaning duties. His mind wandered as he caught sight of another butterfly fluttering around. Remembering that the little insect had gotten him in trouble earlier, he refrained from going after it. Instead, he followed it with his eyes. It was because he was focusing on this, Shinji completely failed to notice the red-head behind him.

"Oi, baka!" she shouted, "what the hell were you doing up there!?"

Jumping, Shinji spun around, "Ano, I was-"

Grabbing the front of his shirt, she dragged him so that they were face to face, "Do you have any idea how dangerous that was?"

"Hai" Shinji answered in strained tone

Struck by such an honest answer, Asuka growled, "Mein Gott, you baka, you scared the crap out of everyone out there. We thought you were going to jump off!"

"Gomenasai," Shinji said in a contrite tone, "I didn't mean to make you worry so much"

Shaking, Asuka let go of the boy and stomped off. Feeling very guilty, Shinji followed her at a distance. By the time they were at the apartment, the atmosphere between them had become more turbulent than a thunderstorm.

The door opened as soon as the pair arrived, showing a frantic Misato, "Asuka, is Shinji alright?"

Jerking a thumb behind her, the red-head retorted, "Yeah, the king of all baka is right behind me"

Dropping his head, Shinji replied, "Gomen"

Asuka passed Misato into the apartment as the older woman grabbed Shinji into a hug, "I was so worried, ever since the principal called and said that you were walking on the rails"

Later that evening, Shinji was cooking dinner. He had become such a good cook that it sort have became his job to cook for everyone in the apartment. He made sure to cook Asuka's favorite as a form of appeasement. At the table, Asuka and Misato were in conversation

"Asuka, what's wrong?" Misato asked

Puffing her cheeks, the red-head responded, "Absolutely nothing"

Raising a brow, the purple-haired woman said, "You've been ignoring Shinji ever since you came back. You know he's cooking your favorite food as a form of apology, so why don't you forgive him already?"

Huffing, Asuka turned away as Shinji came in with dinner. Wondrous scents emanated from the plates of German delights that the boy learned from Asuka. Without a word he set down the plates and sat down himself. Dinner was quiet, as neither Shinji nor Asuka were willing to look the other in the eye.

When dinner was finished, Misato gave a meaningful look to Asuka as the German got up to put the dishes away. Seeing that she couldn't put it off any longer, the red-head sighed. Stepping out onto the balcony, the girl dragged Shinji along with her.

Outside, Asuka leaned up against the railing and looked up at the night sky. Cautious, Shinji joined her, although a little ways away.

"Ano," the boy started, breaking the silence between them, "Sohryu-san…"

"Don't," she interrupted, "say you're sorry again"

Gulping, Shinji watched as Asuka turned to him again, "Baka-Shinji, if you ever scare me like that again, I'll kill you"

Nodding, he relaxed as she finished, "I forgive you"

Now that the tension had been broken, Shinji then asked, "Hey, did you hear about the festival?"

"Yeah, Hikari-chan told me about it at lunch today," the red-head said

"Maybe we can all go together," the boy suggested

Turning to the boy with a sly look on her face, Asuka asked, "Oh? Are you suggesting we go out together at the festival?"

"Us, Touji, Kensuke, and Hikari," Shinji replied, "All five of us could go together"

Almost smacking her head on the rail, the red-head turned to see that the boy was actually being honest about this. Unable to help herself, she started to laugh. As Shinji looked on confusedly, Asuka slid down to the ground as she held her sides.

On the other side of the door, Misato herself was cracking up at Shinji's naiveté. Wiping tears of mirth, the woman collected herself and told the kids to come in.

* * *

There you go, hope you enjoyed it. Let's run the drill, R&R and I'll try to get back as soon as possible

Later!


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Hello again, quick wasn't I? Here's number 6 for your viewing pleasure

Disclaimer: I do not own NGE, Gainax does

Preread by YouarenotasrandomasI

Now, on with the show!

* * *

Asuka and Hikari were out in the shopping district, out shopping for a kimono for the red-head to wear at the festival. The girls were doing a bit of window shopping as Asuka told her friend about the new developments with Shinji.

"He still doesn't have any recollection of anything more than a blur," the red-head was telling Hikari

"I see. Maybe his mind is forcing him to forget. I've read that sometimes if something traumatic happens, the mind will force some memories to be suppressed," the brunette suggested

Shrugging, Asuka peered into a store display, "I can't say for sure. Let's not dwell on that and focus on shopping"

Hikari led the red-head towards some displays, "Here are a couple of examples"

Looking at the dressed up dummies, the German girl frowned in thought, "They seem pretty big and hard to move in"

In a reassuring tone, the brunette told her, "They are, but you will look fabulous in one"

A sales clerk came up and asked, "May I help you ladies?"

"Hai, my friend here needs a kimono for the festival," Hikari explained

"Well then, if you will follow me we'll set her up," the clerk told them with a gesture towards a rack of kimonos

Within no time, Asuka was given a stack of clothes to try on. She went into the dressing room multiple times to try on different kimonos. After trying on what seemed to be a hundred kimonos, they finally decided on one.

"It's perfect," the clerk complimented, "It suits you perfectly"

The red-head was dressed in a pretty red kimono. Embroidered onto the cloth was a lovely design of waves crashing against rocks along the hem of the kimono. Asuka twirled around, showing off.

"It's like I thought," the red-head told them, "It's kind of hard to move around in this"

Tapping a finger on her chin, Hikari suggested, "We might be able to modify it a little so it won't feel so awkward"

Changing back into her regular clothes, the two girls placed their purchase. When they left the store, Hikari began to explain what happens at the festivals.

"They'll set up all sorts of games and food stands. Everyone will be having fun, and when night comes there'll be a fireworks show"

Turning to the brunette, Asuka told her, "That sounds like a perfect place for one to go on a date"

"It is," Hikari responded, "are you going with Shinji?"

Snorting, the red-head said, "That baka wouldn't know what a date was unless someone came up and told him to go on one with them"

"Oh, so you're going to with him as friends?"

Nodding, Asuka told her friend, "He wanted to know if we could all go together as a group"

"All?"

"Us, him, and his friends Suzuhara and Aida"

"Sure," Hikari replied, "it'll be fun"

The two girls passed the park where the festival was to be set up. All over the place, stalls were being set up. There was a great deal of noise as people shouted to be heard over one another.

"It looks like a lot of effort for them to set up a festival," the red-head commented, "I wonder what it'll be like when it's all set up"

"It'll be great," the brunette said, "The summer and fall festivals are also nice, but if you want something really nice, it has to be watching fireworks under a blossoming tree in spring"

"Sounds romantic"

Nodding in agreement, Hikari asked, "Is there someone special you'd like to go with?"

Snorting, Asuka replied, "Nope, there isn't any boy out there who isn't hentai"

"What about Shinji?" her friend asked, "From what you've told me, he doesn't understand what it means to be hentai"

Frowning a bit, Asuka said, "Alright, so Shinji's not hentai, but that doesn't mean I like the baka like that"

Sighing, Hikari said, "Alright then, I'm just saying that the festival is a nice time to be with the one you love"

Looking over her shoulder at her friend, the German girl noticed a smile and a light flush on the brunette's face.

Smirking, Asuka asked, "Is there someone special you'd like to go with?"

A deep red appeared on Hikari's face as she stammered, "W-what? I-I don't kn-know what-"

"It's written all over your face," Asuka interrupted, "I know that you have someone you like, so spill the beans"

Although still red-faced, Hikari was able to retort, "Only if you tell me if there's someone you'd like to go with"

Snorting, the German girl replied, "That's easy, there's no one, so fess up already"

Sighing, the brunette decided to tell her hot-headed friend, "Alright, but don't tell anyone"

Eagerly waiting, Asuka leaned in for Hikari to whisper into her ear. When the brunette had finished, the red-head snorted and jumped with a complete look of disbelief.

"No way, you're kidding!"

The red hue that dominated Hikari's face told the truth, "Remember, don't tell anyone"

Sighing, the red-head reassured the girl, "I promise, but I still can't believe that you actually like that loser"

* * *

Park

Shinji and Touji were playing some basketball as Kensuke fiddled with his camera. Both boys on the court were having fun as they played one on one

"Yo, Shinji," the jock said, "You're good"

Sidestepping him, Shinji launched the, catching the rim before it fell through, "Domo, this game's easy once you know the rules"

Picking up the ball, Touji replied, "Sure is, you should try out for the basketball team. They could use a good player like you"

"Oh?"

Spinning the ball on his finger, he continued, "Oh yeah, the team's been doing poorly last season, we haven't won once in who knows how many games"

"Really?" Shinji asked incredulity, "I can't believe it"

"I know, and I'm the best player on the team"

Snorting, Kensuke interjected, "You know the team's pathetic if their lead player admits that it's pathetic"

Dodging the tossed ball, Kensuke chuckled as he continued, "Added to the fact that he actually prays before each games means that things are really bad"

The four-eyed boy got up and ran as Touji chased him, shouting all sorts of threats. Watching all this, Shinji couldn't help but laugh at their antics. Wiping tears of mirth from his eyes, he spotted Asuka and Hikari across the street.

"Hey," he called out, waving his arm in the air, "Sohryu-san, Horaki-san!"

Looking up, the red-head spotted Shinji waving to her from the basketball court, "Its Shinji"

Also looking, Hikari waved back, "Hey Shinji-kun"

It was then that Touji and Kensuke noticed the girls across the street. Stopping in mid step, the jock stood there watching the brunette waving. Seeing that his pursuer had stopped, the four-eyed boy turned around to see that Touji was staring at Hikari. Sighing, Kensuke went over and brought him back to reality with a slap on the back.

"Yo, lover boy," he said in a sardonic tone, "be careful, you might lose your eyes"

Gulping, the dark haired jock said, "Yeah, I'm alright"

Rolling his eyes, Kensuke dragged Touji toward Shinji and the girls, who had crossed the street. The three were talking about the festival this coming weekend

"I can't wait," Shinji said with child-like excitement

Chuckling, Asuka patted him on the head, "Easy there, it's still a few days off"

Frowning, the boy muttered, "I can't wait that long"

The girls couldn't help laughing at the forlorn look on his face. When Touji and Kensuke came up, the brunette quieted down and flushed a little. Nudging the jock, Kensuke told him to wake up.

Jerking upright, Touji said nervously, "Hey Horaki-san"

Also nervously, the brunette replied, "Hey"

Rolling her eyes, Asuka took charge of the situation, "We were talking about the festival, and we thought we should all go together"

"A day with you and the class rep," Kensuke said in a pensive tone, "That'll do wonders to our reputations"

Snorting, the red-head retorted, "Like you had any reputation to begin with"

"So we're going together?" Shinji asked in a curious tone

In synchronization, Hikari and Touji replied, "Sure, why not"

Both blushed when they realized that they had spoken at the same time.

Sighing, Kensuke then said, "Alright, I guess we'll all go together"

Jumping up into the air, Shinji whooped as he put an arm around Asuka's and Kensuke's shoulders, "This'll be great"

Chuckling at the boy's enthusiasm, the German girl said, "Genug bereits, ruhiger Abstieg vor dir verletzten sich" (Enough already, calm down before you hurt yourself)

"Ich kann es helfen nicht, ich bin also aufgeregt," Shinji replied (I can't help it, I'm so excited)

Shaking her head with a rueful smile, Asuka said, "Gekommen auf Shinji, ist es Zeit, nach Hause zu gehen" (Come on Shinji, it's time to go home)

"Hai," the boy said, "Hey guys, I have to go now, see you tomorrow"

Waving, the two then walked out of the park, leaving a trio of confused kids. The first to recover was Hikari who also realized the late hour

"I have to pick up my sister from daycare," she said, "Gomen, I have to go"

A weak smile, Touji waved back to the brunette as walked away. Rolling his eyes, Kensuke grabbed the back of the jock's shirt and pulled him back into reality.

"Come on, wake up"

* * *

Katsuragi Residence

Asuka and Shinji arrived to find that Misato had not yet returned from work. Putting her kimono in her room, the red-head joined Shinji in the living room

"Was ist eingeschaltet?" (What's on?)

Shrugging, Shinji handed her the remote. After a few minutes of channel surfing, the red-head sighed in boredom.

"Es gibt nichts, das an gut ist" (There's nothing good on) Asuka growled in frustration

Turning off the TV, the red-head got an idea in her head

"Lassen Sie uns ein Spiel spielen," (Let's play a game) the girl said

"What game?" Shinji asked curiously

Turning so that she faced him, Asuka explained, "I'll say something, and you will have to try and make a sentence using it"

Tapping his finger on his chin, the dark-haired boy said, "That sounds a lot like what Ritsuko-san did with me on the first day"

"I'm bored," she lamented, "and besides, it'll allow me to get to know you better"

Nodding, Shinji retorted, "I'll play, but we take turns, okay?"

Smirking, Asuka said, "Sounds good, ladies first"

Clearing her throat, she said, "Car ride"

Thinking a bit, Shinji came up with an idea, "It's a nice way to get around, but never travel with Misato at the wheel"

Both of them laughed a bit over this before he spoke up, "My turn; Letters"

Scratching the back of her head, Asuka replied, "So many boys send them to me that if I were to recycle them, I'd have an enough for an entire encyclopedia set"

"That's a lot of letters, but I didn't know they sent that much"

Snorting, the red-head explained, "A lot of boys leave their letters in my desk or on it"

Recalling the number of letters in her shoe locker, Shinji could easily imagine how much Asuka would get in her desk.

"My turn," the German girl said, interrupting his musings, "Friends"

This went on for some time, both of them having fun and not noticing the time passing. During Asuka's turn, she thought hard about what she would say. Finally, the red-head thought of something that might spark Shinji's memory a bit.

"Family"

Smiling, Shinji answered, "You and Misato are the family that I can't remember"

Rolling her eyes at her dismal failure, she watched as he thought of something

"Time of month"

Spluttering, Asuka demanded, "Where did you here that?"

Gulping a little, Shinji answered, "Touji and Kensuke talked about it a bit when a girl snarled at them. They said, 'Must be that time of month for her'"

Flushing a little, Asuka said, "That's personal girl stuff"

Sliding down his seat, the boy muttered, "Gomen"

Huffing, the red-head let him off and said, "Alright, let's move along; Bad weather"

"Hard to make maneuvers in, but provides excellent cover"

Nodding a minute before turning in surprise, Asuka asked, "What does that mean?"

Looking back in confusion, Shinji said, "I'm not entirely sure. It's something that seems necessary to remember"

Wondering what he means, the red-head thought, _That sounds like something from a military trainer_

"Alright," she said, trying to pry more from the boy, "How about forests?"

The boy thought hard, but came up with, "Lots of trees and plants where animals live in"

_Apparently, if he thinks about it he can't recall anything_, Asuka thought to herself

"Forget it," she said as she looked up, "Scheiße (Shit, as if everyone didn't already know) it's late, we better get started with dinner"

Both of them got up at the same time. In doing so, Asuka stepped on and slipped off a bunch of papers that Shinji moved earlier in his search of the remote. Falling forward, she knocked the boy over and landed on top of him. Lifting her head, Asuka bumped the top of her head against Shinji's chin when he looked down at her to see if she was alright

It was at that time that Misato returned to the apartment, "Tadai-"

She stopped at the sight of Asuka lying on top of Shinji. A wicked grin grew on her face as the two looked up at her

"I can go if I'm interrupting," she teased

Rubbing her head, the German girl wondered what Misato was talking about when she realized that she was on top of Shinji. Scrambling off, accidentally kicking the boy in the shin, Asuka was red-faced as she smoothed her clothes.

"No Misato," she said in a strained tone, "you didn't interrupt anything because there was nothing going on"

Continuing to smirk, the purple-haired buxom turned to Shinji and asked, "What have you two been doing?"

Rubbing his chin and shin, the boy replied, "We were playing a game"

"Oh?" Misato asked, "I hope this game was _appropriate_ for people your age"

Flushing the red-head shouted, "Misato!"

Looking up, Shinji tilted his head and watched as Misato teased Asuka and the red-head denying everything.

"Ano, Misato-san," he said, interrupting the pair, "I don't know what's going on, but me and Asuka were just doing something like what Ritsuko did with me during our first session"

Finding some new teasing material, the elder woman said, "Really? So who is better, Ritsuko or Asuka?"

"Misato!"

Later that night, Asuka was brushing her hair as she hummed. Once she smoothed her hair out, she turned to get into bed. A knock on the door made her pause as Misato stepped inside.

"Hey Asuka," she said, "Mind if I join you for a moment"

Sitting on the bed, Asuka asked, "What do you want?"

"Shinji told me about the game, and how he subconsciously remembered something," Misato began, "I just wanted your opinion, should we tell him what we think?"

Looking up, the red-head thought for a moment before saying, "I guess we should, he's going to remember sometime"

Sighing, the woman replied, "I think so, but I'm afraid that when we tell him he'd be traumatized even worse"

"I don't think that it'd be that bad," Asuka said, "he looks like a scrawny child, but he seems pretty tough"

Shaking her head, Misato replied in a tired tone, "I'm just not sure, on the one hand I want to protect him from harm, on the other I might be hurting him more later on"

Putting a reassuring hand on her shoulder, the red-head said in a consoling tone, "We'll take care of him together. The two of us can work together to help him"

"Arigato," the woman said, "that's sweet coming from you"

Flushing, Asuka replied, "I felt that you trying to do too much is all"

Smirking, Misato teased her, "And what was that about taking care of him?"

"Misato!"

* * *

Thanks for stopping by. Alright, you know the drill, R&R and I'll get back as soon as possible

Later


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Welcome back! Not much to say this time, so just move along

Disclaimer: I do not own NGE, Gainax does

Preread by YouarenotasrandomasI

Now, on with the show!

* * *

At central park the festival was in full bloom, and there were many people having fun. The noise made by so many voices was near deafening, and there were so many different stalls that it was seemed impossible to visit all of them in one night. His eyes sparkling, Shinji turned left and right to try to see everything at once.

Behind him, his friends trailed, amused at his antics. Both Hikari and Asuka were wearing kimonos, while the boys opted for more modern wear.

"Slow down Shinji," Asuka shouted to the boy, "You're going to get lost"

"Aw, let him have some fun," Touji retorted, "You're acting like you're babysitting him"

Rolling her eyes, the red-head suppressed her urge to look around like Shinji. She had never expected the festival to be this big.

"Alright let's split up," Kensuke said, "It's obvious that you girls are slowing us down"

"What was that, Aida?" Hikari asked in a menacing tone

"Er, what he meant was, we'll take care of Shinji, you girls go ahead and have some fun," Touji answered, grabbing Kensuke in a headlock to prevent him from saying something he'll regret

Shinji came up and said, "Come on, let's go!"

Chuckling, Asuka shook her head and said, "Fine, you boys go ahead and have fun, just make sure Shinji doesn't hurt himself"

"Aye aye," Kensuke replied with a salute as the trio sped off into the crowds

"Don't forget to meet up at the hill at eleven for the fireworks," the brunette shouted to their retreating forms

"So," Hikari asked when the boys had disappeared, "What do you want to do first?"

"I'm not sure," the red-head replied, "take the lead"

The two girls wandered around the park, taking in the sights and sounds. They spotted friends and classmates often, and had a lot of fun. As the sun set, the two girls looked around for something to eat.

"Here," Hikari held up a small box, "try some takiyoki"

Taking one of the fried delicacies and trying it, Asuka replied, "Not bad"

Looking around, she spotted Shinji also getting some takiyoki. Waving, she and Hikari walked over to the boy.

"Hey Shinji," the brunette said, "Where's Suzuhara and Aida?"

His mouth full, he replied, "They went to play some games"

Sighing in exasperation, Asuka told him, "Don't talk with your mouth full"

Swallowing, Shinji apologized and asked, "Are you having fun Sohryu-san?"

"Yep," she replied, "This festival is amazing"

Hikari interrupted to add, "You have yet to see the fireworks display. Every year it gets better and better"

The three wandered around, looking for the other boys. When the girls stopped to talk to some friends, Shinji spotted a game. It was a ball throwing game, where you had to knock down a set of pins down.

"Hey kid," the man behind the counter said, "Want to try your luck?"

Looking up at the assortment of prizes, Shinji spotted a red stuffed bear. Thinking of Asuka, he nodded and paid the 2000 yen for three tries. The first ball flew high, and the second just knocked over the end pin.

Holding his last ball, Shinji took a deep breath and focused. Cocking his arm back, he thought he heard someone talking in the back of his head

_Target on the center, gauge the wind, make corrections for gravity, and throw_

Throwing the ball, Shinji was pleased to see that he knocked down all of the remaining pins. Pointing to the bear, he took it and looked for Asuka.

"Over here!"

Looking around, he saw that the girls had finally located Touji and Kensuke. Heading towards them, Shinji saw that the two were loaded down with various prizes they had won.

"Gomen Shinji," Kensuke said when he joined them, "We just couldn't help ourselves, there were so much to do and games to play that we forgot"

"That's alright," Shinji replied, "Oh, Sohryu-san, here, I won this for you"

Flushing, Asuka took the bear, ignoring the looks her friends were giving them, "Arigato Shinji"

"Aw that's sweet," Hikari commented

Turning her back to them, the red-head said, "I'm feeling hungry, let's get something to eat"

"Ano, didn't you just eat?" Shinji asked

"I'm hungry again," Asuka retorted, "do you have a problem with that?"

Shaking his head, he said he didn't and added, "Be careful, you'll get fat if you eat too much"

Touji and Kensuke were chuckling at the red-faced girl, making Shinji feel even more confused. Rolling her eyes, Hikari went with Asuka to get some snacks.

"It was very sweet of Shinji to win you a prize," the brunette told her

"Yeah," Asuka replied, "It was nice"

Looking at the girl, Hikari saw that the German girl was still a little red-faced. A small mischievous smile on her face, the brunette nudged the girl

"Asuka-chan, you aren't embarrassed that Shinji won a prize for you?" she teased

Jerking up, the red-head shook her head vigorously, "I'm not!"

Giggling, Hikari told her, "I don't think he meant it like that. He was probably thinking that he was getting something for his best friend"

Sighing, Asuka said, "I know that, it's just that no one's ever won a prize for me before"

"Maybe _you_ think that there's a deeper meaning?" the brunette continued to tease

Again red, Asuka retorted loudly, "I do not!"

Meanwhile, Touji had led Shinji and Kensuke to yet another game in their quest to challenge and beat every game at the festival.

"Ah, a shooting game," the four-eyed boy said, "This'll be fun"

The stall was set up with two air rifles that fired plastic pellets. The object of the game was to knock down as many cans as possible. Touji and Kensuke stepped up to play first. Watching them, Shinji felt the tugs of memory in the back of his head. Letting his gaze wander, he tried to pluck at it, but was having a hard time picking up on it. He was interrupted when Touji tapped his shoulder.

"Here, though I'm not sure if you'd be any good," he said in a resigned tone, "The targets are harder to hit than we thought"

Taking the air gun, Shinji loaded it and took aim. Once again, he felt as though someone was talking to him from a distance, telling him what to do

In quick succession, Shinji shot and knocked down half the cans. The boys and the stall manager watched in amazement as the shooter quickly reloaded and fired on the rest of the cans

"Dude," Touji said in amazement, "You're amazing"

Not listening, Shinji just reloaded the gun. Slapping a hand on his shoulder, Touji tried to get his attention. Suddenly, Shinji spun around and pointed the air gun at the jock's head. The air grew tense as Touji swallowed what felt like a stone

"Hey Shinji, easy there," Kensuke tried to calm the boy down

Closing his eyes and shaking his head, Shinji dropped the gun. Grabbing his temple, he staggered and stumbled to his knees.

"Yo Shinji, what's wrong?" Touji asked, already forgetting the earlier incident

Gasping, the kneeling boy jumped back to his feet and pushed past his friends. Not heeding his friends' calls, Shinji ran through the park. Bumping into people, he ran in zigzags, ignoring the people who were staring at him. All the while, incoherent voices and thoughts echoed through his head

_He's heading south; send three and four to cut him off_

_Get up you runt!_

_I'm not going, I'm NOT GOING!_

_Help! Oh god someone help!_

He finally slammed into something that stopped him from continuing. Incoherently, Shinji looked up and saw that Asuka was talking to him. Unable to help himself, the boy clung to her and began to cry

* * *

Earlier

"Hey, where'd those boys go this time?"

Asuka and Hikari had returned to where they left the boys only to find that they had disappeared again.

Sighing, Asuka said, "I swear, boys are so irresponsible"

"Maybe not all of them," the brunette pointed out, "I mean, Touji baby-sits his younger sister a lot since his father works a lot"

"What about his mother?" the red-head asked

In a quiet tone, Hikari told her, "She died a couple of years ago"

Feeling guilty, Asuka said, "Wow, I guess I never thought…"

She was interrupted as Kensuke ran up to them. He was breathing hard and looked frantic

"Horaki, Sohryu," he called out as he ran to them, "Did you see Shinji run past here?"

"What!?!"

Grabbing him by the front of his shirt, Asuka shook him as she demanded, "What happened?"

In a strained voice, Kensuke told her everything that happened after the girls left. As soon as he finished, Asuka took off in the direction he told her Shinji ran in.

"Aida," Hikari asked, "Where's Touji, is he alright?"

"Yeah, he's fine," the four-eyed boy told her, "He's also looking for Shinji. I just want to know what was up with Shinji"

"Didn't Shinji tell you?" she asked incredulously

Meanwhile, Asuka had climbed to the top of the tallest hill in the park and was scanning the area. She spotted a figure running through the park and bumping into people. Running at an angle, Asuka caught up with Shinji and grabbed him as he ran into her

Although she spoke in an angry tone, Asuka was relieved to find him, "Du täuschst, was geschahst?" (You fool, what happened?)

She regretted her words when she saw that he had tears running down his face. Before she could react, Shinji had buried his face into her shoulder, proceeding to cry into it.

"Shinji…"

Putting her arms around the boy, Asuka patted his back and waited for him to calm down. She led the boy out of the hustle and bustle of the crowds and found a bench outside of the festival area. Sitting down with the boy leaning against her, Asuka waited until Shinji had calmed down

"Alright," the red-head began, when he had finally stopped crying, "Tell me what happened"

Pulling back a bit, he sniffed as he told her what happened. When he was finished, he had fully calmed down and had separated from Asuka.

When he was done with his narrative, Shinji asked, "Is Touji alright?"

"I didn't see him," the red-head said truthfully, "But Kensuke told me that he was out looking for you"

Sighing in relief, he said, "That's good, I was worried that I had hurt him"

"How are you feeling now?"

A scared look on his face, Shinji said, "I'm so confused. I keep hearing voices and seeing weird things"

Putting on a brave face, Asuka said, "Well then that must mean that you're remembering things"

Shaking his head, the boy replied, "But I'm scared. What I hear and see don't make sense, and they make me feel so cold inside"

"Oi, are you a man or a mouse?" the red-head scolded

Gripping his temple, Shinji didn't look up. Sighing, the red-head looked away as she thought of what to do next. She didn't want to make him relive what happened, but she didn't know what to say

"Sohryu-san"

Looking up, Asuka asked, "What?"

"What did you and Misato talk about?"

"Huh?"

"I overheard you two talking a few nights ago," Shinji admitted, "I didn't catch all of it, but I heard you say my name"

Gulping, the red-head tried to lie, "We were just wondering if you…"

She stopped at the look in his face. After what just happened, she just couldn't lie about things that involved him.

"We talked about whether we should tell you what we thought about the life you lived before we found you," Asuka answered

Looking up at the night sky, Shinji said, "You think my past was painful, and that I tried to run away but got hurt in the process"

Surprised, Asuka wasn't able to say anything as he continued, "I got some flashes from that past earlier. It hurt a lot, and I'm afraid of what it means"

"I think that you're afraid of me"

Shinji slipped forward as Asuka smacked him on the back. He looked up to see that she was looking at him with a superior look

"Please, there is no way we would be afraid of you," she told him arrogantly before continuing in a softer tone, "Besides, if you heard anything from our conversation, then you should know that we care about you"

"You do?"

Becoming red-faced, Asuka said, "Well, yeah…you're like family"

Sitting up straight, Shinji asked, "Family?"

"Yeah," the German girl told him, "and family members takes care of one another, so if you ever need help, we'll be there"

"Really?"

Sighing again, she patted his head and told him, "That's right"

"So, you don't mind having to deal with me and my problems?"

Putting him in a headlock, the red-head said, "Don't you listen? No, we don't mind your problems"

Choking, Shinji struggled as he tried to breath, "Ah, gomenasai!"

"And stop apologizing for every little thing!"

"Gomen!"

Asuka was about to tear into him again when she saw his smile. Realizing that he was joking, she smiled back as she loosened her stranglehold

"Arigato Sohryu-san"

Grinning, Asuka said, "You're welcome, just remember, there are people you can trust to talk to"

Just then, a streak of light flew through the air. As the two looked up, they were rewarded with the first of the fireworks of the night. Both watched in awe as dozens of fireworks were launched into the air and made beautiful flowers of light. All across the night sky, fireworks flew and detonated, filling the darkness with bright colors.

Further down the hill, Hikari and the boys had regrouped in an attempt to look for Shinji and Asuka. They were beginning to panic when they spotted the two sitting side by side on the bench as they watched the fireworks.

"Well, it looks like Asuka was able to find Shinji," Kensuke said as he tried to head over to them

Hikari and Touji shared a look before they grabbed the four-eyed boy. As Kensuke struggled, the two dragged him away.

"What's going on?"

"Let's just give the two of them some privacy," Hikari said simply, "I'm sure they'll tell us what happened after the festival"

* * *

That was sweet! R&R and I'll get back as soon as possible

Later!


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

I am so sorry! This took me forever to finish. Between papers, finals, and the well known writer's block, I've been stuck on this chapter for way too long. Hope you forgive me, and that you enjoy this next chapter

Disclaimer: I do not own NGE, Gainax does

Preread by YouarenotasrandomasI

Now, on with the show!

* * *

The day after the festival, Asuka and Misato convinced Kaji to take Shinji for a ride around the country. The two girls had something to discuss that they didn't want Shinji to overhear. They were sitting at the kitchen table where Asuka was telling the older woman what had occurred the previous night.

"I never expected anything like this," Misato muttered to herself after the red-head had finished her narrative.

"I don't think either of us did," Asuka amended, "I think we need to talk with Shinji in depth about this"

Shaking her head, Misato got up and went to the fridge. Pulling out a can of beer, she took a few meditative sips as she thought.

"I'd like to bring Ritsuko into this," she said after thinking through half the can, "If anything, she might be able to help us understand him"

Putting her head on her chin, Asuka pondered aloud, "We should have some sort of plan before Shinji gets back"

"Do you want him first, or are you willing to share?" Misato teased

Spluttering, the red-head flushed as she shouted back, "Verdammt Misato, Du perverted alte Hexe (Damn it Misato, you perverted old hag)"

Snickering, the purple-haired buxom retorted, "Now Asuka, just because you're embarrassed doesn't mean that you can curse"

Blushing hard, the German girl said, "Stop trying to be a matchmaker, he's a friend, and that's it"

"A friend, huh?"

"He's nicer than other people, and he can speak German," Asuka stated, calming herself down a bit, "And since you make us live together, I got to know him a bit better"

Smiling, Misato decided to lay off the teasing a bit, "I see, so that's why you're so concerned"

Nodding, the red-head said, "I feel that we still haven't understood much about him and that we have to help him overcome it"

"I understand," the purple-haired woman said, "Well, I better call Ritsuko to come here so we can get started"

* * *

Shinji and Kaji were out driving through the countryside. The older man looked at the boy that sat next to him. The boy was staring out the window, looking like an overeager child. As he too looked around, Kaji recognized the scenery as the one that Misato described to where she first found Shinji.

"Hey, Shinji-kun," he said, "Does this place look familiar to you?"

"Nope," the boy replied, "I don't think I've been here before"

"Oh? But this is around where Misato first found you"

Looking up, Shinji asked, "Really?"

"Yep," Kaji answered, "Do you want to look around?"

Remembering what happened last time he recalled something, it was with good reason that Shinji was a little apprehensive.

"Alright"

Slowing the car down, Kaji parked along the side of the road. As the two got out of the vehicle, the man could see that the view was astounding. When he turned to Shinji, Kaji saw that the boy was looking around.

"Anything?"

Shaking his head, Shinji replied, "Gomen"

Chuckling, Kaji told him, "It's alright, I never really expected you to remember something"

Smiling back, Shinji took off to wander the woods a bit. As he kept an eye on him, Kaji noticed something on the ground that was glinting in the sunlight. Kneeling down to check it out, he saw that it was a piece of metal. Picking it up, he covered a small gasp of surprise

"Hey Shinji, are you hungry?" Kaji called out, pocketing the piece of metal

Coming back from behind a tree, the boy replied, "Yeah"

Covering his anxiety, Kaji started up the car, "So, what do you want to eat?"

* * *

About an hour after they called her, Ritsuko arrived at the apartment, "Konnichiwa"

"Hey Rits-chan," Misato greeted from the kitchen, "give me a minute, lunch is almost ready"

Gulping nervously, the blonde doctor said, "That's okay, I'm not very hungry right now"

Snickering, the other woman told her, "I'm joking, we ordered out"

Sighing in relief, Ritsuko said, "It isn't nice to joke like that, I was sure that I'd have to call in sick for the rest of the month"

Puffing her cheeks, Misato retorted, "Some people don't understand good cooking"

"If that's good cooking, I dread to think about your bad cooking," the doctor retorted sarcastically

Asuka and Misato brought in paper plates with the food from the take out. The first few minutes they spoke of trivial things: fashion, movies, and other stuff.

"Alright," Misato said, breaking up the conversation, "let's get down to business"

Setting down her chopsticks, Ritsuko spoke with all seriousness, "I see, so what about Shinji did you want to talk about?"

Folding her hands under her chin, the purple-haired woman told the doctor, "We want to know what you think about him"

Tapping her chin, the doctor said, "He appears to be normal enough, despite his past and some very odd behavior. I'm fairly certain that it wouldn't be too hard on him if we pressed him, but we should go about it gently"

Despite the assurance, Asuka asked, "But what about what happened last night?"

Shrugging, Ritsuko told the girl, "I'm a doctor, not a miracle worker. It's just impossible to predict any one person's next action"

Just then, the phone rang. Getting up, Misato went to answer it

"So," Ritsuko asked, "why are you so concerned about your friend?"

The red-head huffed before replying, "I'm more worried about what he could do, like last night"

Smiling a bit, the doctor told her, "You know, the more a person denies something, the more it seems like the truth"

"I'm not denying anything," Asuka retorted hotly

"Not directly you're not, but I think that you might care more for Shinji than you think"

Frowning, the girl didn't reply and turned away. Chuckling a little, Ritsuko looked up when Misato reentered the room carrying a can of beer.

"That was Kaji," the purple-haired woman told them, "He said that he had something to show us"

Perplexed, the doctor asked, "Oh? What?"

Shrugging, Misato replied while she opened a can of beer, "I don't know, he didn't explain, just that he'll be back soon"

Curious, Asuka wondered aloud, "What could it be?"

* * *

After having lunch, Kaji and Shinji were walking back to the car when the boy passed a colorful poster. It was promoting one of the largest companies in the city, a bit of a publicity stunt.

The poster read:

_DSS Special Event!_

_Come try your luck, get the golden ball and win a prize!_

Intrigued, Shinji walked up to the man behind the table. On the table top was a turning cylinder, similar to what some bingo competitions would use. The man behind the setup was a large jovial looking man.

"Hey there kid," he called out in a booming voice, "want to try your luck?"

Walking over, Shinji asked, "How do you play?"

Smiling, the man told him, "You turn the handle, and if a golden ball pops out, you win the grand prize. It's only 500 yen a go"

Pulling out his wallet, the boy pulled out the money needed and said, "I'll try it"

"Hey Shinji," Kaji called out, "what are you doing?"

"I'll be just a minute," he called back

Handing over the money, Shinji grabbed the handle and turned it. The handle made three complete revolutions before it stopped. To his delight, the golden ball popped out onto the table.

"Well, looks like you win," the man said with a chuckle, "Here's your prize"

He handed Shinji an envelope, "You've won a trip for you and five other people to Okinawa"

"Hey Shinji, what's taking so long?" Kaji had come up to find what was taking the boy so long

"This lucky boy won a free trip to Okinawa," the man boasted

Surprised, the rough-faced man opened the envelope and counted six authentic airline tickets for Okinawa. It was a round trip that lasts for five days and four nights. Scratching his head, Kaji shook his head in amazement

"This is amazing," he told Shinji, "Let's go tell Misato"

"Sure"

* * *

Misato's Apartment

The doorbell rang, prompting Misato to go and open the door. Standing there with big smiles were Kaji and Shinji

"Alright," the woman asked, looking from one to the other, "Come on, what's up?"

Holding up and envelope, Kaji said in a teasing tone, "Guess what these are"

Reaching out to grab it, Misato said, "Tell me"

Holding the envelope from her reach, the man told her, "You have to guess first"

Deciding to take a different tactic, the purple haired woman turned to Shinji and asked, "What's in that envelope?"

Shinji only looked up at Kaji and told her, "Guess"

From behind Misato, Ritsuko told them, "Let her know before her head blows up. You know she doesn't think that well"

"Hey!"

Chuckling, Kaji opened the envelope and pulled out six tickets, "Shinji won a contest and got himself an all expense paid trip for six to Okinawa"

The woman all gathered together to look at the tickets that Kaji held

"That's amazing!" Asuka exclaimed, "You have got to be the luckiest guy in the city!"

Scratching the back of his head modestly, Shinji replied, "I guess so"

"So," the red-head said in an innocent tone, "Who'll you take with you?"

Tapping his finger on his chin, the boy said, "Well, I was thinking that Misato could do with a vacation. Kensuke and Touji would like to go. Maybe I should ask Hikari to go"

With one ticket left unaccounted for, Asuka was left speechless when Shinji said, "Kaji'd like to go to, and so I guess that's everyone"

Not believing her ears, the red-head scowled angrily as she grabbed him by the shirt, "What about me!?"

She saw that Shinji was smiling as he tried to get her to let go. Hearing Kaji chuckle made her realize that they were joking around. Going red-faced, Asuka gave a sinister grin as she pulled Shinji away

"Come on, if we're going to Okinawa, we're going to need some new gear"

Pulling him, Asuka led the boy out of the apartment, much to the amusement of the adults. They knew that the red-head was going to shop till she dropped and that poor Shinji would have to carry all of it home. Joining the women, Kaji let out a breath as he relaxed.

"So," Misato said, "Come on, what was it you wanted to tell us?"

She knew from the tone of his voice over the phone that a vacation wasn't what he had in mind. Composing himself, the rough-faces man reached into his pocket and dropped something that made a clinking sound on the table. Both women leaned in to take a closer look at what Kaji threw onto the table.

It was a small metal rectangle, slightly smaller than a credit card, made from aluminum. The metal plate seemed crude, it's edges bent over to prevent someone from cutting themselves on the rough cut edges. There were a series of numbers, crudely indented onto the surface of the metal. At the bottom edge of the metal was an image of a triangular head with eyes.

"A wolf," Ritsuko said with a faint voice as she realized what the animal was supposed to be

Nodding his head, Kaji pointed out one more important detail, "Look here, and tell me what you think"

He had pointed near the numbers, and the two women looked. Written crudely in English was Shinji's name. Both gasped as they turned to Kaji

"Where did you find this?" Misato demanded

"I found it near where you first found Shinji," the man explained, "I haven't shown it to Shinji yet if you're wondering"

Picking it up, the doctor examined the metal object closely. After a while, she made a startling observation

"There's blood on this thing"

Nodding his head, Kaji told her, "I know, and considering Shinji's condition at the time, it's likely he lost it while stumbling across the road"

"It's really his then?" Misato asked

Sighing, the man held her hand as Ritsuko spoke to them, "It's very likely his and it's possible that he would regain his memory if we gave this to him. A personal possession of an amnesia stricken person has a high probability of restoring their memories"

"Yeah," Misato interrupted, "but what if it's bad memories?"

"He's under your care," Ritsuko said after a few moments of silence, "It is your decision whether or not to do this"

Handing her the metal tag, the doctor got up, "I wish I could stay longer, but I have a few appointments to get to"

"That's alright," Misato said, also getting up, "Domo Rits-chan"

Shaking hands, the doctor parted. Sighing, the woman sat down and looked at the piece of metal that was on the table. Resting her head in her hands, Misato felt a little calmer when Kaji wrapped an arm around her.

"I feel torn," the woman explained as she leaned against the rough-faced man's chest, "I want to help Shinji, but this could be bad for him as well"

Stroking her hair, Kaji replied, "I think that, for better or worst, Shinji should be shown who he really is. If he finds out later that you held his memories back, even though your intention was for good, he'll feel betrayed and hurt by you"

Sighing, Misato let the man hold her as she thought deeply about this. Looking at the piece of metal, she found it very odd that such an insignificant piece of junk could lead to such internal turmoil. After a long period of silence, Misato got up from Kaji's arms.

"I'm going to show Shinji this," she announced, "but after our vacation"

Kaji also got up and said reassuringly, "I know he'll appreciate your concern"

Sighing, Misato muttered, "We'll see"

Hugging her from behind, the rough-faced man, "The fact that you're so concerned about him just means that you'll be a good mother someday"

* * *

Oh goody, finally done. Anyway, R&R and I'll try to get back even faster this time. Hopefully

Later


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Many greetings to my readers, and thanks for your patience. Here's the next chapter for your reading pleasure

Disclaimer: I do not own NGE, Gainax does

Preread by YouarenotasrandomasI

Now, on with the show!

* * *

"This is great!"

It was the beginning of spring vacation and everyone was out to have fun. Shinji and Asuka had invited their friends, and they were now at the airport, awaiting their plane for departure. Everyone was feeling excited about going on a trip to the beaches of Okinawa for their vacation, and it was showing.

"_Flight 204 for Okinawa is now at gate 4G"_

"That's us," Misato announced, "Come on, let's go before we miss the plane"

They all raced for the gate, even though they had plenty of time, and were the first to board. As they all stowed away their belongings and took their seats, they all talked about what they'll do once they reach Okinawa.

Shinji looked out the window at the ground crew, feeling both nervous and excited. Watching him, Touji asked him if he remembered what being on an airplane was like

"No," the boy replied from his seat by the window, "as far as I can tell, this is the first time I've ever been on one"

When the plane finally took off, Shinji watched the ground leave them with as much excitement as a child would on his first trip by plane. Misato and the others watched in amusement as he looked around in awe.

"He's such a child," Hikari told Asuka, "It's really cute"

Rolling her eyes, the red-head replied, "Yeah, when he doesn't try killing you"

"He couldn't help himself," Touji told her from a seat back, "It was like he was a totally different person, and you can't blame him for that"

Kensuke also spoke on Shinji's behalf, "Yeah, and besides, no one was hurt, right?"

Asuka couldn't find fault with their logic, so she let it go. The flight was no more than an hour and a half, and soon the group was departing the plane for Okinawa

"Man," the jock said, shading his eyes, "It's really hot out"

"Don't worry," Misato told them, "The hotel's a few blocks from here, and the beach is also close by"

And like she said, the hotel they were to stay at was indeed close. Given a rating of five stars in a recent survey, it was a luxury that none of them would have dreamed of. There was another round of thanks to Shinji, who blushed as he received them. Inside, the group found it much cooler and as fancy looking as it did from the outside.

"Konnichiwa," the clerk behind the reception desk said, "How may I help you?"

Handing over the receipts from the contest, Misato told her, "We'd like two connecting rooms for six"

"Alright, just give me a moment," the clerk replied

A few moments later and the clerk had finished their registration, "Here you go; room 415 and connecting room 416 are yours"

Taking the keys, Misato turned to the kids and said, "Alright, after we've put our stuff away, what do you guys want to do first?"

Touji looked out the window and said, "I vote that we all go to the beach!"

Raising their hands, Hikari and Asuka also shouted, "To the beach!"

When everyone had dropped off their stuff, the group went out to the beach. The size of the beach and the number of people there was impressive.

"Man, this is so great," Touji exclaimed

"Alright kids," Misato said, going into responsible adult mode, "don't forget to put on some sunscreen"

"Aw don't worry," Asuka said, "We'll be fine"

Everyone quickly changed into their bathing suits. Touji wore a black with white stripe bathing suit, while Kensuke's was a dark green. Shinji had on a blue and purple suit recently purchased for this trip.

Wearing a bright red two-piece, Asuka showed off her beautiful form, much to the delight of the male populace. Being more conservative, Hikari opted for a single-piece of a shy blue color with a whit stripe on either side.

When Shinji took off his shirt, everyone turned to see the various healed over scars on his body. When they did so, the boy began to feel a little self-conscious and went to put his shirt back on. Before he did so, Asuka stopped him

"Oi, baka, its way too hot to wear a shirt," she told him, "Do you really want to melt out there?"

Realizing how hot it was, Shinji thought a little before he replied to her, "You're right about that"

Throwing back her hair, the red-head replied, "I'm always right"

Chuckling as he put his shirt into the bag, the boy told her, "What about that time you tried that alleyway as a shortcut?"

Flushing, Asuka argued, "It was a good idea, that wall wasn't supposed to be there"

Misato smiled as she watched the two of them go into German for their argument. Turning to the others, who were watching the two with some amusement, and spoke to them

"I know how it looks," the woman said, "but please don't make him too uncomfortable, okay?"

The three of them nodded their heads, and the boys headed for the beach. Hikari stuck back to talk with Misato.

"So, Katsuragi-san," the brunette asked, "How's everything?"

Stretching out, the older woman said, "It's very good, especially since we get to go on this great vacation"

Down by the water's edge, the boys had gone into the water for some swimming. Unable to resist, Asuka challenged them to a water race.

"First to that buoy and back is the undisputed champion of the water," the red-head proclaimed

The water marker was a good five hundred feet out. Gulping nervously, Kensuke passed on the challenge and said that he'd judge.

Stretching out his muscles, Touji said, "This'll be a piece of cake"

Smirking, Asuka taunted him, "Then let's up the ante, the losers buys snacks for the winner"

"Deal"

The racers lined up at the water's edge and awaited Kensuke's signal to start.

"On your mark, get set, GO!"

The three teens surged into the water and tried to get ahead of the others. In the lead, and clearly visible, was the red-headed girl. Confident in her lead, Asuka took her time going around the buoy. Out of nowhere, Shinji pulled up alongside her and kept easy pace. For the last hundred feet, they were tied, but at the very end, Shinji pulled ahead enough to be declared the winner.

"And the winner is, Shinji!"

Kensuke lifted the tired boy's arm as he announced the winner. Wringing her hair out, Asuka turned away as Touji arrived to congratulate Shinji.

"Shit, you are so fast," the jock said in a tired tone, "I couldn't even keep up with you guys"

Smiling as everyone congratulated him; Shinji looked over at Asuka and said, "Ano, you don't have to-"

Waving her hand, the red-head interrupted him, "It's alright, and a deal's a deal. What would you like?"

Later, Asuka and Touji were waiting in line for the snack bar. Shinji had felt bad about making them buy everything, so he tagged along, despite Asuka telling him he didn't have to.

"I told you already," the German girl said furiously, "I am okay"

"But…"

"Mein Gott, just go away!"

Shrinking under her glare, Shinji did as he was told and ran back to the others. Sighing, Asuka looked up at Touji, who was whistling a carefree tune

"What?"

Shrugging his shoulders, the jock said, "Nothing"

Meanwhile, Shinji returned to the others, who looked up at his return. Misato was lying on her belly in her skimpy two-piece, getting a tan.

"What's up?" Hikari asked

Sitting down, Shinji explained, "I think Sohryu-san is upset that she lost, and that she's angry at me"

"Aw, how cute," Misato remarked, "You're worried about your little girlfriend"

Not looking up, the boy asked, "Do you think I should apologize?"

Hikari said, "Don't worry about it. I think Asuka's just a little upset, and she'll get over it"

"You think so?"

"Probably," Kensuke interrupted, "Girls always know so much about the 'emotional' side"

Getting up to avoid the stares the girls were giving him, the four-eyed boy said, "Now, if you'll excuse me"

Kensuke walked over to where a group of girls had gathered.

"Hentai," Hikari muttered, "Shinji, whatever you do, don't follow his example"

Nodding, Shinji put his head on his knees as he looked out at the ocean. Pulling him out of his glum mood, Misato asked him, "Hey Shinji, why don't you go and find something to do?"

Smiling a little, the boy got up and walked away, looking for something to do. His guardian watched with a rueful look as he headed down to the water's edge

"Poor Shinji-kun," Misato said aloud, "He probably doesn't even realize what he's feeling for Asuka"

Looking at the woman, Hikari stated, "Maybe, but he's a bit naïve, he probably doesn't even know what love is"

Chuckling, Misato replied, "That's a very good point Hikari-chan, maybe I should give him the 'Birds and Bees' talk"

Flushing, the brunette looked away in the hopes that Misato wouldn't notice. Unfortunately, Misato's gaze caught Hikari's embarrassed look. Smirking, the woman teased her a bit.

"What's this, haven't you had the talk?"

Turning even redder, Hikari shyly shook her head. Smiling broadly, the woman teased her about being the 'perfect' bride. Misato could have gone longer, except that Asuka and Touji arrived with the snacks.

"Alright," the red-head asked, "Where's Shinji?"

Pointing down to the shoreline, Misato told her, "He went off to play somewhere"

Sighing, the red-head sat down on Misato's towel and absentmindedly ate a pretzel, "Geez, the way he was bugging me you'd think he was the one who lost"

Chuckling, Misato told the girl, "He was worried that you were upset at him for winning"

Rolling her eyes, Asuka sighed loudly as she said, "Dummkopf, I'm upset at myself for getting overconfident"

"Then you better tell him," Hikari told the German girl, "He looked pretty depressed after he last talked to you"

Frustrated, Asuka got up and headed down for the water, "That Dummkopf better appreciate what I'm doing"

Misato chuckled as she walked away, "Oh to be young again"

Kensuke had been trying to get himself a girl, with some negative results. He'd talked to, and been rejected, by every girl he met. Just as he was about to give up, the four-eyed boy spotted a girl he hadn't tried to talk to yet. Squaring his shoulders, Kensuke walked over to her

The girl was fourteen, the same age as he was. Her slightly tanned skin complemented her baby blue bikini nicely. It was hard to tell what her hair color was due to the sun hat she wore. She was lying on a blue towel, reading a paperback book as Kensuke walked up to her.

"Hello little lady," Kensuke said to the girl

Looking up, he saw that she was wearing sunglasses, "Konnichiwa"

"I was walking around when I spotted you, my little angel," the boy continued in a flattering tone

Giggling, the girl gave him a smile as she replied, "That's cute"

Emboldened, Kensuke continued, "Why thank you my angel, I'm here to please"

Giggling again, the girl put down her book and asked, "Are you trying to court me?"

"Ah, you've seen though my plan," the boy joked as he sat down next to her, "I suppose I shall be going to plan B"

"Would plan B involve you, me and a restaurant?" she joked back

"Why, yes it does," Kensuke said in surprise, "would you care to join me?"

The girl tapped her chin for a few moments in thought, "Hm, go out on a date with someone I just met"

Looking back at him, the girl said, "Gomen, but I already have a boyfriend"

Shocked at being led by this girl, Kensuke stood up, "Oh, I see"

Giggling again, the girl waved, "Sayonara"

Shoulders slumped, the boy walked away. He hadn't gotten too far when he met up with Shinji.

"Hey," the boy called out, "What's wrong?"

Shinji had noticed that Kensuke seemed to be depressed and wanted to know what was up

"Hey Shinji, nothing's wrong"

Neither of them noticed that the girl was staring after them

Asuka paced the beach as she looked for Shinji. Frustrated that no one had seen a boy with scars on his body, she headed back to where Misato was. She finally spotted the boy sitting with the others on their beach towels.

"There you are," the red-head said in an annoyed tone, "So where were you?"

Looking up, the boy she was talking to looked sheepish as he replied, "I was around"

Rolling her eyes, Asuka sat down and roughly handed Shinji his snack. Shoulders hunched meekly, he took it and shifted over so that he wasn't sitting directly next to her.

"Shinji"

Warily looking up, he asked, "Hai, Sohryu-san?"

"I'm not upset at you for winning that race," the red-head told him, "I was just upset at myself for being overconfident"

Looking less upset, Shinji asked, "Really?"

"Yeah, so enough of the beaten-dog look"

Smiling, Shinji held out his snack, "Want some?"

"Sure"

Looking on with a smile, Misato turned over onto her back and whispered to the others, "You see how they make such a nice couple?"

Covering her smile, Hikari replied, "It's so cute, like something out of a drama"

Rolling his eyes, Kensuke said, "Next thing you'll be expecting is some old love interest from his forgotten past to come back to claim him"

Now laughing, the brunette told him, "Come on, now that's more than a little unrealistic"

Looking up, Asuka asked, "What's so funny?"

Waving her hand, Misato told her, "Oh we're just talking, don't mind us"

Unbeknownst to the group, they were being closely watched by a girl. Her stare seemed to burn through the sunglasses she wore as she observed their actions. The main focus of her gaze was Shinji, who was being teased by the boys about his being a newlywed.

"Why are you still alive?" she asked in a sad and lonesome voice

Picking up her bag, the girl put on a pair of jeans and a tank top, covering her baby-blue bikini. Her hand froze in the bag before she pulled out a small photo. Her shoulders shook slightly as she looked at it

"Are we going to have to…?"

The girl trailed off as she put the picture back into her bag and began to walk away.

* * *

Ohh, mysterious girl who knows Shinji, very interesting. Anyway, R&R and I'll get back as soon as possible, and I'll try to get back as quickly as I can with the next chapter

Later


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Date: 6/24/07

ARGH!! Something is wrong with my internet connection. I have been unable to contact my beta, so everything you see was preread by me. In this case, since my grammar skills are not as great, I hope you can allow for a few errors. In any case, I'm leaving for the summer, so I won't be updating anytime until the end of summer break. Also, you're getting two chapters, a consolation for missing me for the summer.

Disclaimer: I do not own NGE, Gainax does

Now, on with the show!

* * *

Sometime during the night a typhoon passed close by the coast near Okinawa. Due to the weather conditions, a heavy storm was hanging around the area, making everyone take shelter until it passed. Not only that, but there was some damage done to the power, so that very little was going to housing. Staring out the window with a bored expression, Asuka sighed explosively.

"I'm so bored"

Everyone was gathered in the boys' room, wondering what they were going to do on this dreary day. Shinji was staring out at the rain splattered window, the dancing drops against the glass always causing him to come close to recalling something

"What do you expect us to do?" Kensuke asked, interrupting Shinji's attempts, "The weather report says it'll be like this into midnight"

Sighing again, Asuka didn't reply. Also feeling bored, Misato lay on her back on one of the beds and thought, and was inspired by an idea

"Let's play a game," the woman announced, sitting up, "What do you say?"

"Anything," Touji said, "I'll go stir crazy if we don't do anything"

"How about 'Truth or Dare'?"

Because everyone was bored, they all quickly agreed to the idea. Shinji, who hadn't played the game, asked what the rules were.

"It's pretty simple," Hikari explained, "One person asks another person Truth or Dare. Then that person chooses one of the two options. The first person will then either ask a question that the other person must answer truthfully, or have them do something"

"Sounds simple," Shinji said

"I'll go first then," Misato announced, "Suzuhara, Truth or Dare?"

"Dare," Touji said bravely

"I dare you," Misato said, stretching it out, "to do the chicken dance on one leg"

Everyone got a kick out of watching the jock dancing the ridiculous dance on one leg. Even Touji was laughing when he sat down to take his turn.

"Okay, okay," he said as everyone calmed down, "Your turn Kensuke, Truth or Dare?"

"Dare"

Touji rubbed his chin before telling him, "I dare you to stand out on the balcony and shout loudly that you're a loon three times"

The four-eyed boy went out and did so, much to everyone's amusement, but required a towel when he came in. After he had changed into a set of dry clothes, Kensuke continued the game.

"Alright, Misato-san, Truth or Dare?"

"Truth"

"When was your first time?"

Flushing, Hikari reprimanded the boy, "Hentai, that's not something you ask a lady!"

Chuckling, the older woman calmed the brunette, "That's alright, I don't mind sharing. My first time was in my second year at college, and it was a big one"

Raising his hand, Shinji asked, "Ano, what are you guys talking about?"

Everyone fell on their faces when he asked that question. There was about ten minutes of everyone telling him one thing or another, causing him to be even more confused.

"Do you understand?" Misato asked once everyone calmed down

Tilting his head to the side, Shinji replied, "Sort of, but I still don't understand what you mean by a pickle and a wrapper"

Everyone grew red-faced as Asuka told him, "Just forget it, you can ask more questions when the game is over"

"Hai"

Coughing into her hand a bit, Misato recovered and continued the game, "Okay Asuka, Truth or Dare?"

In a challenging tone, Asuka answered, "Dare"

A sly look on her face, the woman dared her, "I dare you…to sit in Shinji's lap for the rest of the game"

"What!"

Waving her finger, Misato told her, "You can go along with the dare, or you don't, but if you don't you lose"

Not wanting to lose, Asuka walked to where Shinji sat on the bed and told him very clearly, "Remember, if your hands go anywhere they're not supposed to, I'll be within striking distance"

Gulping, the boy nodded as the red-head set herself down. Kensuke was recording on his camera the uncomfortable looks on the pair's faces while Touji was trying to control his laughter.

"Aw," Misato cooed, "You look so cute together"

Asuka was flushed as she retorted, "Let's just go on"

The next few rounds were more sedate since everyone couldn't think straight with Asuka sitting on Shinji's lap. The boy had trouble since the German girl couldn't balance straight. The others found it quite amusing watching Asuka tell Shinji where to hold her so that she wouldn't fall out.

"Alright," the red-head said finally, "Keep your hands there, and remember what happens if they don't"

"H-Hai"

By then it was Touji's turn, and he had a wicked idea. Turning to Shinji, he asked him Truth or Dare.

"Truth," the boy replied

A wicked smile on his face, Touji asked, "Do you like Sohryu?"

Flushing, Asuka tried to turn around but wasn't able to stop Shinji from answering, "I do"

Everyone had a little chuckle at Asuka's expense. The red-head knew that she couldn't really do anything about that. Shinji didn't understand the concept of lying, and always spoke what he knew was true. Ignoring the giggles, Asuka waited for her turn, so that she could turn the tables on the jock.

The game continued on, and then it was Misato's turn. Feeling extra mischievous, she decided to try something else with Asuka and Shinji.

"Shinji, Truth or Dare?"

"Dare"

_This couldn't have gone better_, Misato thought as she said, "I dare you to give Asuka a kiss on the cheek"

Flushing, the red-head turned around, about to tell him not to when his lips pressed against hers. Shinji had been in the process of kissing her cheek when Asuka turned around, putting their lips in contact with each other. The seconds turned to hours as the two kissed. When they parted a few seconds later, both of them were flushing so hard they could be seen from space.

Kensuke, who was recording the whole thing, snickered as he said, "Wait until I show this to everyone at school"

Getting up from Shinji's lap, Asuka silently stalked past everyone and went to the adjoining room. Worried at the lack of a louder reaction, Misato and Hikari quickly followed the German girl to the next room.

In the next room, the red-head had sat down on her bed and held her hand to her lips. Hikari and Misato sat down on either side of her.

"Ano," the brunette began, "Asuka-chan, are you alright?"

Nodding, the girl replied in a slightly squeaky voice, "I'm fine"

Wrapping an arm around the red-faced girl, Misato told her in a reassuringly way, "If you want to talk, we're here for you"

"I told you, I'm fine," the German girl stubbornly said, still in a squeaky voice

"Come on, tell us what's wrong"

In a weak tone, Asuka replied, "I'm fine!"

* * *

In the other room, Shinji was tightlipped as well. He ignored his friends when they tried to talk to him and was lost in his thoughts. It had seemed innocent enough, kiss Asuka on the cheek, but he accidentally kissed her on the lips as she turned around. When he thought back to the kiss, he was filled with emotions that he could not name. 

"He's not responding," Kensuke finally said when Shinji failed to react to them, "Do you think there's something wrong?"

Shrugging, Touji told him, "Stay here, I'm going to check with the girls"

Sitting across from Shinji, the four-eyed boy muttered, "Some guys have all the luck with girls"

Hikari had met with Touji when he knocked on the door, "Suzuhara, how's Shinji?"

"He's not saying anything," the boy replied, "Shinji's not even responding to us. How's Sohryu?"

"She won't tell us anything," the brunette answered

There was a moment of silence before Hikari said, "I better go check on Asuka, and will you do the same for Shinji?"

Nodding, Touji told her, "Of course, he's my friend"

Kensuke was playing the video of when Asuka and Shinji were kissing when the jock came back. Shinji was staring at the video's images with a slightly red face.

"This is great," the four-eyed boy snickered, "The look on your faces are hilarious"

Getting up, Shinji silently walked to his bed and lay down on it. Turning his back to the others, he lay there in silence. Shaking his head, Touji tapped Kensuke on his shoulder to get his attention

"Hey, baka," he said, "Lay off Shinji, alright?"

"What?"

* * *

Later that night, the rain let up a little. Both Shinji and Asuka were silent and non-responsive to anything the others tried all day. Misato was worried; Asuka she might understand being silent, but Shinji should have been trying to talk to the red-head, to find out what was wrong. 

"I'm worried about those two," Hikari said quietly to Misato

The German girl was absentmindedly brushing her hair as she stared blankly into space. Sighing quietly, the older woman sat next to the girl and patted her back gently.

"Try to get some sleep," the woman suggested, "You'll feel better in the morning"

"I told you," Asuka said irritably, "There's nothing wrong with me"

Sighing, Misato left her alone and prepared to go to bed. When the red-headed girl was ready to talk, she'll talk. Until then, they could only wait until Asuka was feeling confident enough to talk

* * *

Midnight 

Shinji couldn't sleep, not with the emotions raging through his mind. Getting up silently, he climbed out of bed and went out onto the balcony. The clouds had dispersed and allowed the night sky to show through.

Staring out into the night, Shinji asked himself, "What's wrong with me?"

After restlessly tossing and turning in her bed, Asuka threw the covers off and got out of bed

_I can't take this anymore_, she thought, _I'm going crazy_

She decided to go out and get some fresh air, in an attempt to clear her full mind. Stepping out onto the balcony, Asuka spotted Shinji leaning against the railing. A cloud moved and revealed the full moon, bathing the two of them in pale light. Looking out into the night, the red-head noted that Shinji looked really handsome under the light of the moon

Turning, the boy looked and spotted Asuka staring at him. Flushing as he remembered the earlier events, Shinji turned to leave.

"Wait"

He stopped, but he didn't turn around. Slowly, Asuka stepped up to the railing, near where Shinji was leaning from

"Can we talk?"

The boy slowly returned to the railing, keeping a short distance between the two of them, "Hai"

Silence stretched between them for a few long minutes. Neither was ready or willing to talk right away. Taking a deep breath, Asuka broke it with a question.

"Do you remember earlier, with the game?"

Nodding silently, Shinji didn't look at her as he replied, "Hai"

Silence, then the boy said, "Gomen, I wanted to say that, but I just couldn't face you, not right away"

Flushing a bit, Asuka asked, "Why?"

"I don't know," he replied, "It's just, when I look at you my heart beats faster and I feel nervous when I'm near you"

Shyly smiling, Asuka asked teasingly, "Why should you feel nervous around little old me?"

Returning the smile, Shinji flushed as he asked, "So, about earlier…"

"Don't worry," the red-head interrupted, "besides, I kinda liked it"

The last part was said too low for the boy to hear, so he asked, "What?"

Flushing, Asuka retorted, "Nothing, just nothing"

"Oh"

The red-head could sense that Shinji was beginning to lighten up a little, so she moved a little closer to him. Her shoulder brushed up against his, and he looked sideways at her. They gave each other a small smile

"Do you think you had a girlfriend before?" Asuka asked

Shrugging, the boy replied, "I don't think so"

"Why?"

Smiling at her a little, Shinji told her, "I like you, remember?"

Becoming a deep red, Asuka punched him in the gut, "Oi, you little…"

Turning around, she realized how close their faces were. Both of them blushed, but neither of them moved.

"Hey, Shinji"

"Hai?"

"Could you hold me again? Like before?"

Nodding, he wrapped his arms gently around Asuka as she leaned up against his chest. Sighing gently, the red-head relaxed into his arms, realizing that she had enjoyed being held by Shinji. She felt…happy. The last time she remembered feeling this happy was before her mother passed away. Could it be…?

"Don't tell anyone about this," Asuka said after a while in silence, "but you're the first boy I've kissed"

"Well, as far as I can remember, you're the first girl I've kissed," Shinji said in reply

Both of them laughed a little at this. They were now feeling more comfortable with being this near each other. Asuka realized that Shinji was stroking her hair, but made no move to stop him.

"Hey, Shinji," the red-head said after a couple of minutes, "Don't you dare tell anyone what's happening here"

"Hai"

Pressing her forehead to his, Asuka said in a soft tone, "This is going to be our little secret, alright?"

Looking into her blue eyes, Shinji replied with a light flush on his face, "Okay"

"Come on," the German girl said, pulling away from him, "Let's get some sleep; we need to make up for the day we missed tomorrow, and we'll need all the energy we can get"

Nodding, the boy leaned forward and pecked her on the cheek, saying, "I never finished my dare"

Flushing, Asuka placed a hand where he kissed her. This was the second time she had been kissed by a boy.

Dazed, the red-head said, "Guten Nact," before going back to the girl's room

Getting back into bed, the red-head didn't notice that Misato was lying on her bed wide awake. She had heard part of their conversation and watched them through the glass doors.

_Looks like Asuka's falling for Shinji_, the woman thought as she lay back down on the bed, _I wonder, where it'll lead?_

* * *

Thanks for reading. Review and check out the other chapter

Later!


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Hello, here's the second of my, 'hold off until I get back chapters'. Again, I was unable to contact my beta, so forgive any mistakes I may have made since my grammar skills are not as great

Disclaimer: I do not own NGE, Gainax does

Now, on with the show!

* * *

The next morning, Shinji awoke late and found that the other's had gone. Rubbing his eyes, the boy headed for the bathroom to wash his face. When he reached for the door, it opened and a bit of steam came out.

"Ohayo," Asuka said cheerfully, "Nothing like a hot shower to wake you up"

She paused and gave Shinji a small smile, "The other's went ahead to get some breakfast. Once you've changed, we'll head down"

Nodding, the boy covered a yawn and replied, "I'll be right out"

Once Shinji cleaned up, the two of them took the elevator down to the lobby. On the way down, Asuka linked her hand with his. Neither said anything about last night, or their conversation

When they reached the bottom, Asuka reminded Shinji not to tell anyone about last night, "I still need a little time"

Shinji was beginning to understand what the emotion he felt whenever he was near Asuka was, and could understand why she would need some time. Nodding his understanding, Shinji gave Asuka's hand a comforting squeeze before letting go

Exiting the elevator, the pair headed for the lobby, looking for the others. As they did, Shinji accidentally bumped into someone

"Oh, gomen," he said as he helped the girl he'd bumped into up

For some odd reason the girl was wearing sunglasses indoors. Her hair was black and short, barely reaching her shoulders.

"It's alright," the girl replied, straightening her skirt

Tilting his head, Shinji thought as he tried to place where he'd heard that voice before, "Excuse me, but have we met before?"

"I do not think so," the girl replied

Getting impatient, Asuka demanded, "Let's get going, I'm starving"

"Coming," Shinji replied, "I gotta go"

"Farewell then," the girl replied

Stopping, the boy frowned, he was sure he heard those same exact words somewhere else

"Come on, let's go!"

Jarred out of hit thoughts, Shinji ran after Asuka, shouting apologies to girl over his shoulder

The girl with sunglasses watched the pair run off before she turned and walked in the opposite direction. Stepping around a corner, she met up with a boy her age. Like her, he wore sunglasses and had black hair

"Well?" he asked

Looking down, she replied, "Amnesia, he didn't recognize me. I almost didn't recognize him with his new personality"

Shaking his head, he asked, "Do you think he can help?"

"He was always the best," she answered, "The fact that he survived should be enough"

"Will he though," he persisted, "He doesn't remember anything, and if he did, he'll remember what we did"

She remained silent, impassively watching the crowd of people pass through.

* * *

In the dining hall, Shinji and Asuka spotted their friends sitting at a table near the buffet. They appeared to be looking at something from the way they all clustered together like that

"Ohayo," Shinji greeted cheerfully, "What are you looking at?"

Asuka peeked and saw that they were watching something that Kensuke had recorded. To her shock, the bespectacled boy had somehow recorded everything that happened the previous night

"I never get tired of this," Kensuke said with a smile, "The looks on your faces are hilarious!"

"Give me that," the red-head demanded, lunging for the camcorder

Laughing, he moved away from her, keeping his camera as far away as possible, "Oh come on, what's a laugh or two?"

Sidestepping another attack, Kensuke had his camera snatched out of his hand. Looking for the thief, he found Shinji pulling out the memory card and handing it to Asuka.

"Arigato Shinji," the red-head said as she took the card, "I know exactly what to do with this"

"Argh," Kensuke cried in shock, "Wait, my whole collection is on that thing!"

Tossing him his camera back, Shinji replied, "Then you shouldn't have made fun of Sohryu-san"

Hikari and Touji shared a look. The previous day the two were complete mutes, and today they were back to normal? Something had to have happened, and they had an idea of how to find out.

"Hey Shinji," the jock said, "Let's get something to eat"

Nodding, he joined up with Touji and headed for the buffet line, "Yeah, I'm starving"

Once they had gone, Hikari glared at Kensuke until he too left, muttering all the while about girls. Asuka took a seat as she stuck the memory card into her back pocket

"I see that you're back to normal," the brunette commented

Waving a dismissive hand, Asuka replied, "Of course, when am I not myself?"

"The Kiss?"

Flushing, the red-head stumbled over her words as she lied, "That was nothing, an accident that doesn't mean anything"

Shaking her head, Hikari stated bluntly, "Alright, what happened?"

The look she was giving Asuka was one that would not be denied. Looking around to see if anyone was near enough to hear, the red-head leaned close to whisper to Hikari.

"Last night, I couldn't sleep," she told the brunette, "So I went to the balcony to get some air"

Nodding, Hikari prompted Asuka to continue

Taking a deep breath, the red-head lowered her voice even more and whispered, "Shinji was out there too, and we talked"

"Oh? What did you talk about?"

Flushing, Asuka checked to see that the boys were still at the buffet line before continuing, "He told me that he was feeling something for me, but wasn't sure what it was"

Smiling a little, Hikari stated, "You like him as more than just a friend"

Turning a deep red, Asuka told her, "I might"

"Oh Asuka, admit it," the brunette pushed, "you have a crush on him!"

Looking away, the red-head mumbled some nonsense while Hikari just shook her head.

"Anyway, we're going on a boat ride," the brunette told her as a way to help her get off topic, "Afterwards we're heading into the city to do some shopping"

Glad for the change in topic, Asuka said, "That sounds great"

* * *

Meanwhile, Touji was having great difficulty in getting Shinji to tell him anything, "Come on, I'm your friend. You can tell me anything"

Shaking his head, Shinji replied, "Gomen, there's nothing to tell you"

In a wheedling tone, the jock continued to try and get Shinji to talk to him. The boy's wheedling tone grated on Shinji's nerves.

Sighing, the boy replied wearily, "I can't tell you, I promised Sohryu-san"

"You promised Asuka?" Touji asked

"Yeah, so stop asking me"

The jock didn't, and the matter was dropped. Rejoining the girls at the table, they ate their breakfast and planned what they would do that afternoon after the boat ride

"I'm going to get a new memory card," Kensuke said while giving Asuka an angry look, "Since I've lost mine"

Innocently smiling, the red-head didn't say anything and ate her breakfast.

"I'm going to get some souvenirs for my sister," Touji said, shoveling food into his mouth

"Suzuhara, that's disgusting," Hikari said in a disgusted tone

As Touji gulped his food, Misato arrived with the tickets for the boat ride

"Alright, let's go," the woman announced, "The boats going to leave in half an hour"

Once on the boat, everyone took seats around the glass bottom. Shinji looked on in awe as the tour guide explained about some of the sea life

"It's like another world down there," the boy said excitedly

Smiling at his excitement, Misato said, "It is amazing, isn't it?"

Sitting next to Shinji, Asuka pointed out some of the more exotic sites. Their guardian watched with a small smile as she watched her wards getting along better with each other. Misato did notice that they seemed shyer when talking to each other, sometimes not looking at each other, or quickly turning away from each other.

Still, she had to concede that it was a vast improvement over their mute selves the day before. She kept an eye on them the whole boat ride, wondering what might happen next.

When the boat finished its tour, the group went to get lunch and discuss what next to do. They decided to split up, and meet back at the hotel later. Hikari and Asuka went in one direction, to purchase some clothes, and Touji and Kensuke went to find some arcades. Misato headed for parts unknown, while Shinji was on his own. He had a cell phone and was made to promise to call if he got lost.

"Alright," Shinji said looking around, "Where to first?"

He took a long walk through the city. Though wanting to see everything, he took care to watch were he was going, a lesson taught by Asuka. Stopping in front of a bookstore, Shinji decided to take a look inside.

Looking around, the boy browsed the bookshelves, looking for something he'd like. Pausing at a bestsellers table, Shinji's eye was caught by a yellow book.

"What's this?"

* * *

Meanwhile, with the girls, Hikari was finally getting Asuka to tell her everything that happened last night.

"Then he kissed me on the cheek," the red-head finished, her face tinged red

"That's so kawaii!" Hikari said, "Well?"

"Well what?"

"Aren't you going to tell him?"

Looking away, Asuka told her friend, "I can't"

In a disparaging tone, the brunette asked, "Why not?"

Ticking off her fingers, the red-head made a list, "One, I'm not entirely sure I like him that way. Two, he probably doesn't understand what I mean. Three, he might not like me the same way"

The last one was said in a subdued tone, a slightly worried look on her face

"Oh Asuka," Hikari said in a moment of understanding, "You think that he does have a girlfriend, and that when he gets his memory back he won't return your love"

Asuka stared at her friend in shock and amazement. The brunette had hit the nail on the head of the problem she was dealing with. She nodded as Hikari shook her head in amusement

"That makes sense, but you shouldn't let that hold you back"

With Asuka listening, the brunette told her, "If you really love him, then tell him. If he really loves you, Shinji will return your love, even after he gets his memories back"

Her shoulders relaxed, Asuka gave her friend a hug, "Domo Hikari-chan, I feel a little better now"

"But," the red-head continued, "I'm still going to have a problem telling him my feelings"

Exasperated, Hikari asked, "Well why not?"

"I think you said it one time," Asuka answered, "He's too naïve. He wouldn't know what love is unless it hit him in the head"

* * *

Shinji was immersed in a book. Every once in a while he would flush at what he was reading. The title of the book was How to Tell Someone You Love Them. The book's first chapter was dedicated to teaching a person to know if they were truly in love with someone. The rest of the book told how to tell a person, where to tell them, and when to tell them.

Shinji was able to get a better understanding of romance, and because of it he finally understood the feelings he got when he was with Asuka. He wondered if this was what she meant last night when she said she knew what he was feeling

Closing the book, Shinji noted that the time had grown quite late and he needed to hurry back. Putting the helpful guide away, he headed back to the hotel.

On his way back, he thought about what he should do with Asuka. He didn't feel right about just walking up to her and asking her directly what she felt for him. And he wasn't sure of the right way to tell her.

After much deliberation, Shinji decided to just ask Misato and talk to her about it. If she went easy on the teasing, maybe she could give him some valuable advice.

As he rounded the corner, he bumped into the girls carrying shopping bags, who were also on their way back to the hotel. Shinji and Asuka shared a look before shyly looking away. Smirking, Hikari said that she'll go on ahead.

"Ah, wait," the red-head said uselessly as the brunette ran ahead

Nervously, Asuka and Shinji stood there. They may have been able to control their emotions earlier, but the dam that had held them back had let them loose again. Clearing her throat, the red-head gestured for him to follow

"So," she began, "Did you have fun?"

Shinji replied, "Sort of, I found some interesting places"

"That's nice"

Walking slowly, they passed a park where children were playing. Deciding to take a short detour, Asuka led Shinji to one of the benches.

"Ah," she sighed in relief as she sat down, "My feet feel so sore"

"Well, we could rest here for a little," the boy suggested, "I'm sure Misato won't mind if we had to stay for a little before heading back"

Smiling shyly, Asuka told him, "Of course, and she shouldn't feel worried about you because I'm here with you"

She saw that Shinji was looking at her with a smile. Feeling awkward, the red-head flushed and looked away. Suddenly, she felt his hand on top of hers

"Sohryu-san," he asked, "Are you alright?"

When she didn't answer, he asked again in a softer tone, "Are you alright…Asuka-san?"

She started in surprise, and looked at him. This was the first time he said her first name.

Surprised into honesty, Asuka said, "Not really"

At the worried look on his face, the red-head explained, "I'm having some problems, that's all"

"Maybe I can help," Shinji suggested

Pulling her hand away, Asuka said, "I don't think you can"

"Why not?"

Shaking her head, the red-head said, "Just because"

"That's not good enough," he said, surprising her again, "Gomen, but you've got a problem, and I want to help"

Surprised by his sudden stubbornness, Asuka saw a different side to Shinji. This wasn't a naïve little boy who is kind and friendly to everyone. She was looking at a serious young man who was strong and compassionate. Was this the real Shinji?

"Please," Shinji begged, "Let me help you"

Smiling, Asuka leaned against him, "I'll tell you what the problem is, and then let you decide if you can help or not"

Listening intently, the boy was stunned when she said, "The problem is you"

* * *

Thanks for reading. Now remember, I will not be updating for the summer because I will be on vacation, so you will have to wait until the break is over. Thanks for your patience, and please send your reviews

Later-Much!


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

And here's Chapter 12!

[Cricket chirps

I know you guys are out there...Fine, don't reply, just leave me to rot in author hell[sniff. Just kidding, I know you all love reading this stuff. A note, because I use Google to translate my German, it will be both crude and sometimes wrong. If you spot any mistakes me and my beta missed, let us know, and don't give us crap about 'doing it wrong' or 'your German sucks', just let us know if there's a mistake. Thank you

Disclaimer: I do not own NGE, Gainax does. I do own all original characters, and if they bear any resemblence to real people or fictional characters in other stories it is merely coincidental

Preread by YouarenotasrandomasI

Now, on with the show!

* * *

Misato looked up as Hikari entered the room the girls all shared, "Hey Hikari, how are things for our favorite lovebirds?"

Seeing the confused look on her face, the older woman pointed out the window. Following her finger, the brunette found that they could easily see both Shinji and Asuka sitting in the park where she last left them.

"Oh," Hikari said, "I left them there, 'cause I figured they might need some alone time to confess their feelings for one another"

Chuckling, Misato told her, "You've got a devious little mind Hikari. I like this plan"

Looking around, the brunette heard discussions going on in the boys' room next door. It was then that she thought up of yet another brilliant plan.

"Misato-san," she said, "I think you might like this next plan"

"Oh?"

The older woman leaned in to hear what Hikari had planned. She smirked and giggled at a few points as the girl whispered her plan. When the brunette finished, Misato put in her two cents and made a few good suggestions.

After a fit of giggling, Hikari looked out the window and saw that Shinji and Asuka were walking back to the hotel. They were holding hands and he was helping carry her stuff.

"This might be easier than we planned," Misato said with a mischievous grin

* * *

Earlier

"Was it something I did?" Shinji asked in response to the statement that he was a problem to Asuka

Shaking her head, the red-head placed a hand on his arm and told him, "No, it's nothing like that"

"Then what is it?"

"I think I like you more than just as friends," she replied in a low and nervous tone, "You're different than any other guy I've met"

Shinji stayed quiet and listened as Asuka continued to talk, "The others only saw me for my outward appearance, lusting over the physical. I've never seen you even glance at me like that"

"Very few people has ever tried to get to know me better, your one of those few who was my friend"

Nodding his head, Shinji encouraged her to go on. Taking a deep breath, Asuka continued in a more confident tone

"And now we're both feeling something more for each other, and I'm just worried that it might tear up our friendship if it messes up," she said, looking away a little, "I don't have that many friends and you're one of my best"

Smiling, Shinji replied, "Well, you're my best friend, too. If you prefer it to stay that way, it's fine by me"

"That's the thing," she interjected, "I want to be more than just friends"

Losing the smile, to which Asuka instantly missed, though she would not admit it, Shinji asked, "What's the real problem then?"

Sighing, the Asuka took a few moments to compose her thoughts and then said bluntly, "If there is another girl, a girlfriend, I'm afraid you'll leave me. Like my parents"

Hearing that, Shinji remembered that this was a topic that Asuka didn't like to talk about. He recalled how vehemently she told him to never ask her about it. This time, the boy felt that he should push her for some information, but he should be careful not to push too hard.

"What happened to your parents?" Shinji asked gently

Biting her lower lip, Asuka didn't answer right away. Putting his hand on hers, the boy patiently waited until the girl was comfortable enough to talk

"My mother," she said haltingly, "she was a nice and kind woman. She would take me out for walks through the park, and push me on the swings"

Gulping, she told him, "It happened when I was four. She suddenly fell ill, and had to be hospitalized. The doctors didn't know what was wrong, and she just kept getting worse day after day"

A few tears appeared in her eyes as she remembered that day. She felt something wipe the tears that spilled onto her cheeks and looked up. Shinji was gently wiping away the tears that were spilling, a look of compassion on his face. Smiling at him a little, she shook her head and wrapped up her story as quickly as possible

"Anyway, my mother passed away," she said, covering her sniffles, "And my dad just abandoned me with my aunts and uncles"

"I never realized it was so bad," he said, "It must have been hard, losing your parents"

There was a moment of silence before Shinji got to his feet. Looking up in surprise, Asuka stared at his outstretched hand and then to him. He had a smile and a compassionate glint to his eyes.

"I'll make you a promise," he declared, "I swear to never leave your side, no matter what happens, I will be with you whether as a friend of something more"

Heart fluttering, Asuka was shocked to hear Shinji make such a drastic promise. At the same time, she felt really warm inside as he made that promise.

"Do you have any ideas of the implications that promise means?" Asuka asked him, a light teasing tone in her tone

Sensing her lift in mood, he replied, "Aside from marriage? No"

Surprised at his sharp perception, the girl asked, "When did you get so sharp?"

Bashfully, Shinji scratched the back of his head as he told her that he heard about it after reading a book. After hearing such an absurd statement, the German girl could not help but laugh. The tension completely broken apart, the two began to walk back to the hotel, neither realizing that they had grabbed hold of the other's hand.

Across the park, hidden beneath the shadows of the trees, a pair of figures stood as they watched the couple walking away. Sighing, the male figure shook his head as he took his sunglasses off to rub his eyes

"That was really sweet of him," he said, putting his sunglasses back on

A smirk on her face, the female figure teased, "Are you crying? I knew you were a sucker for those kinds of semantics"

Shaking his head, the boy walked away, followed closely by the girl. They went a little way away until they met up with another figure. Unlike the other two, he had silvery hair. He was a head taller than the other two and had an eye-patch over his right eye. He wore sunglasses like the other two

Running a hand through his hair, the new person asked, "How much longer is this going to take? I'm itching for some action"

The shorter boy replied, "Captain One-Eye, how many times do I have to tell you, we need to be patient"

"And how many times do I have to tell you, stop calling me that?" the silver-haired boy said irritably, "I hate waiting, and all we're doing is watching some stupid soap opera"

The first boy and the girl sighed at his impatience. In truth, they too wanted to move, but the circumstances required a certain subtle flair that the other boy was too temperamental for.

"Relax," the girl said, "As soon as we can get him by himself, we can take action. All we need is a little patience"

Growling, the tall boy retorted, "How long do we even have? We know they're only here on vacation, we don't know when they'll leave"

"Don't worry," the other boy replied, "When have we ever failed in our missions?"

Snorting, the taller boy said in a mocking tone, "Now that you mention it, there was that one mission. And it involved him too. Not only did it fail, but I lost my eye because of it"

"It wasn't as if you were that good looking to begin with," the shorter one said in jest, "If anything, you look better. And speaking of looks, why haven't you dyed your hair like us? You stand out way too much as you are now"

"Shut it," the tall boy said angrily, "Before I shut it for you"

Before the argument got out of control, the girl interrupted them, "Stop your testosterone competition and get your heads back into the game. We still have to finish this before the higher ups catch on to us"

Sighing, the shorter boy said, "She's got a point, at most we'd have two to three days left. So we might have to rush, but we still have tomorrow and the day after"

Smirking, the silver-haired boy added, "Good, so then we can move soon"

* * *

At the hotel, the group was having dinner as they discussed what they would do the next day.

"I'm thinking we should take a break," Misato suggested, "Relax at the beach again"

"Sounds good," Touji replied, thinking about Hikari in her bathing suit, "I guess we've been doing a lot since we got here"

"What are you talking about," Asuka retorted, "We've been here three days, and one was spent indoors because of a stupid storm"

Chuckling, Hikari told her, "Gomen Asuka, but not all of us are as full of energy as you"

Frowning, the German girl asked, "Are all you Dummköpfe just going to be lying around all day at the beach?"

Waving her hand, Misato tried to calm the girl down, "Easy Asuka-chan, you don't have to join us you know. You can go out and do something while we're all lazing about at the beach"

"But it's so boring by myself," she said in a whiny tone

"I'll go with you," Shinji suggested

Both Hikari and Misato shared hidden smiles as their plan was beginning to take place.

"I heard that there are a couple of special places for dates," Misato teased, "Maybe the two of you should visit a few of them"

Oddly, the German girl didn't argue, she did flush a little as she thought about it. The older woman smirked as she watched the girl think it through.

_I see that your little talk with Shinji changed something_, Misato thought; _I wonder what you'll do now?_

In an effort to maintain her outward appearance, Asuka said, "There's a lot to do out here, so I might not get to do everything," although the look on her face said she was interested

"Whatever," Kensuke said in a bored tone, "I'm up for a day at the beach. A tan might make the chicks dig me"

Snorting so hard that she choked, Asuka gasped as she said, "Nothing could ever make you attractive to the girls; just live with the fact you'll be alone your whole life"

While Shinji was rubbing her back to help her regain her breath, Hikari admonished her, "Come on Asuka, be nice"

Kensuke only grumbled about how he'd prove her wrong someday. Misato chuckled as she watched the group of friends joking with one another.

"Alright," she said, quelling all conversation, "So I guess the plan for tomorrow is that while Shinji and Asuka are out on their date, the rest of us will be at the beach"

Both teens flushed while the others had a laugh at their expense. They were both very glad when the conversation turned to other topics.

* * *

The next day

The others had left early to spend time at the beach, so Asuka and Shinji found themselves alone in their respective rooms that morning. Despite how she might have acted the evening before, the red-head was glad for the chance to be alone with Shinji for the day. Today, she would find out if the feelings they had for one another were meant to be

Looking through her luggage, Asuka found something that would fit the occasion. She pulled out her yellow sundress, the same one she wore when Shinji fell into their lives.

"Ano, Asuka," Shinji called out from the other room, "are you ready yet?"

"In a moment," she called back, stripping out of her pajamas and slipping on her sundress. She was quick about it, because she didn't want to waste too much time

Just as Shinji was about to knock on the door again, it opened and Asuka walked out. He grinned as he recognized the dress.

"Well, what are we waiting for," the red-head said, grabbing his arm, "Let's get going"

After grabbing a quick breakfast in the hotel's dining hall, the couple left and walked side by side through the city. Neither of them noticed that they were being followed.

The first thing that the pair went to was a very beautiful park. There was a pond in the middle filled with koi fish that people could feed as they crossed the bridge. Shinji and Asuka stopped in the middle of the bridge as they crossed to look at the brightly colored fish

"Here," Shinji passed a bag of leftover toast they took with them when they left the hotel for breakfast. There was a single piece of toast, but plenty of crumbs that they could give to the fish

Asuka took a small handful and tossed in into the pond. The two teens smiled and had a little laugh watching the fish scramble to get the food before any other fish could. Behind them, they could hear a camera click, and decided to move so whoever was taking the picture could have more room.

They moved to another section of the park, where they found an ice-cream vendor. Shinji ordered a strawberry scoop for Asuka and a chocolate for himself. As they turned to walk away, they heard the vendor shout in dismay. Turning, they saw that the brakes had failed on the cart and was careening out of control down the hill. They didn't see what happened next, but they did hear someone shouting as the cart hit them.

"Wow," Asuka said, "That's unlucky"

Leaving the vendor to sort out his troubles, the couple walked out of the park, enjoying their frozen treats.

"Hey look," the German girl said, "an arcade, let's go"

Inside the darkened building, there was a wide variety of games to choose from. The first game they went to was the dance simulator.

"It's a song for two," Shinji noted, as Asuka got onto one of the platforms, "I'm not sure if I can dance all that well"

"Come on," she said, holding her hand out, "It's pretty simple, just step on the arrow just as it approaches the top"

After being pulled up, Shinji had a moment to adjust himself before the game started. Despite a few fumbles in the beginning of the game, he was able to keep pace with the song, earning a decent score.

"You see," Asuka said proudly, "It's pretty simple. Now let's go do a harder song"

They danced for over an hour, easily claiming the high scores. They would have gone on longer, except they were running out of tokens, and they were feeling hungry

After a loud grumble from his stomach, Asuka said with a tease, "Let's go get something to tame that hungry beast"

"More like beasts," Shinji teased back as the German's stomach began to rumble even louder, "I hope it's still in its cage"

Flushing in embarrassment, the red-faced red head chased after the laughing boy, accidentally knocking into a few people. They then bumped into one person, causing a domino effect, in which people began to fall over, knocking someone else. With a cartoon sound, they all fell and landed in a heap.

Sweating, Asuka grabbed Shinji's arm, "Come on, let's go and get lunch"

"But what about those people?"

"Just come on," the red-head said desperately, dragging him behind her.

They ran quite a distance before Asuka finally slowed. As the two took the moment to catch their breaths, she noticed that she was still holding Shinji's hand. Embarrassed, the red-head made to let go when she felt his grip tighten lightly. Looking up, she met Shinji's smiling face

"Let's go get some lunch," he said, "All that running didn't exactly help"

Both of their stomachs rumbled simultaneously, causing them to laugh at one another. They then continued walking, looking for a place to eat. All the while they still held hands as they eventually came to a little café, and stopped to have lunch there

"Hello there," the receptionist greeted, "A table for our cute couple?"

They both blushed as they nodded. The receptionist gave a chuckle as he led them to a window seat. After giving them their menus, he told them that someone would be with them momentarily. After they had placed their orders, Asuka asked what they should do next

"Well," Shinji began, "we could always try the cliffs by the beach. I heard they have a great view, especially on clear days like today"

"That sounds good," the red-head admitted, "Well go have a look after lunch"

After finishing lunch, the two made to get up. As they did so, Asuka accidentally bumped into a waitress who was carrying a tray of soft drinks. The woman fell, dropping the tray and spilling the drinks everywhere. The manager accepted the two teens apologies after they and the waitress had explained the situation.

"Alright," the manager said with a wry grin, "it was an accident, so there's no use crying over spilt m-, er, soda"

After bowing furiously and thanking him for not making them pay for the spilt drinks, the couple left. Feeling a good deal of relief at not being in trouble, the two walked for a little bit before heading to the cliffs Shinji mentioned.

Breathing in deeply, Asuka said with a smile, "Today has been great, don't you think Shinji?"

Smiling back at her, he replied, "Of course it has, especially since I'm with you"

Flushing at his statement, she responded, "Well I figure that today wouldn't have been nearly as good if I was alone"

Smiling, Shinji took hold of her hand. They shared another smile as they continued to walk through the town. Once they reached the shore, they continued along the coast, talking in German so that they could have some privacy

"Ich dachte, heute für uns recht glücklich war," (I was thinking that today was pretty lucky for us) Asuka stated

"Wirklich? Warum?" (Really? Why?) Shinji asked in reply

Ticking off her fingers, the red-head listed, "Es gab das Ereignis mit der Eiscremekarre, der Fall des Arcade und das Getränkereignis," (There was the incident with the ice cream cart, the arcade incident, and the drinks incident)

Shinji thought about it and realized that she was right, "Du bist rechte und alle jene Ereignisse, die wir nie in der Mühe für erhielten" (You're right, and all those incidents we never got in trouble for)

Shrugging, Asuka said, "Gut solange es nicht uns geschieht, schätze ich, daß es nicht ein Problem sein sollte" (Well, as long as it doesn't happen to us, I guess it shouldn't be a problem)

They stopped to look out over the horizon, the view quite spectacular. The conversations varied as the two walked along the cliff paths, stopping once in a while to observe a specific spot. By the time they reached the end of the path, a good amount of time had passed. The sun was low, creating a wonder of reds, oranges, and yellows in the sky that was mirrored by the ocean below.

Breathing in the crisp sea air, Asuka said, "This is beautiful. I wish we could stay to see the sun set, but if we did we'd be back at the hotel really late"

Nodding, Shinji said, "We'll stay for a bit, if we get in trouble blame it on me, since it was my suggestion we come out here"

Smiling, Asuka replied, "That's sweet of you"

Wrapping an arm around his waist, she leaned against him as they watched the sunset. Although he was surprised, in no time he had his own arm wrapped around her, relishing in the warmth the two shared.

Asuka looked at Shinji through the corner of her eye. He stared out at the sunset, a small smile of content on his face. Heart beating, the red-head decided to take the initiative. Tugging gently on his sleeve, she drew his attention.

"Shinji," she said quietly, her face a little flushed, "There's something I want to tell you, although you already know it"

Shinji knew where this was going, but stayed quiet while she continued, "Despite everything that might happen, I feel as if I can say this without any regret. Shinji, I love you"

Her face was a bright red as she looked away in embarrassment. A hand on her chin made her look up into Shinji's eyes as he smiled at her.

"I feel as if I can say this too," he said, "I love you Asuka"

Her heart beating loudly, the German girl wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging him closely. She sighed as she felt his arms wrap around her waist and hug her back. Holding him, she felt the same calm and happiness as the last time he held her.

After some time, she asked, "Do you want to kiss?"

Gulping a little, Shinji pulled back to look at her face, shyly looking at him. Giving his best smile, he leaned down and gently kissed her on the lips

The feeling of his lips on hers was divine. The first accidental kiss had felt nice, but this time they were sharing their feelings for one another through this kiss.

_This beats my first kiss by a thousand,_ she thought, deepening the kiss

When they both separated for air, Asuka looked into his eyes to see that they seemed different. The love was still there, but he had an odd look

"Shinji-kun, are you alright?"

"Of course I am," Shinji replied in a slightly cocky tone, "Why do you ask Mana?"

* * *

CLIFFHANGER!!! We have a third stranger, and Mana makes a cameo. Who knows what will happen next? Oh wait, I do. It's a pretty cool story too, you see Shinji...Wait, I'm not going to tell you guys. At least, not yet. Reviews are welcome, so please send me something or other and I will get back as soon as possible with the next chapter. Until then:

Later!


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